A Montmorency cherry tree, sour, but tasty fruit. Photo Credit: John A. Bray

TREE DE-CHERRYING: On May 29, the 20-foot-tall cherry tree just outside my door was full of ripe Montmorency fruit. On June 10, the tree was stripped bare. Robins. Grackles. Mockingbirds. Cardinals. Blue Jays. Sparrows. And this red-bellied woodpecker. At some point, the message went out and a building wave of birds finished off the fruit, right down to the last drop. Photo Credit: John A. Bray

MONTMORENCY MAGIC: Ripe cherries shine on Memorial Day 2017. Photo Credit: Leslie Bray

PEOPLE’S SHARE: Freshly harvested cherries at way station on route to becoming a slightly sweet compote. Photo Credit: Leslie Bray