Young tree, ancient orchard

It was wonderful today to see this young tree, grafted from a very old parent nearby that sadly toppled over this winter.
The youngster has taken some years to reach this size and has finally burst into blossom.
The old orchard was thought to be an area farmed many hundreds of years ago, planted with Lyth Valley damsons, hazelnuts and various apples. It is impossible to guess the exact age of the remaining old trees, though they are very gnarled and covered in lichens.
All of the viable apple trees had cuttings grafted to new rootstock, and at least four have grown well to help conserve the interest of this orchard. I will let you know how good the fruit is in due course!