Back in late June, I visited this apple orchard shortly after two powerful hailstorms swept through the area.

As I walked through the orchard, the damage was impossible to miss. The apples were still young, and many had fresh wounds from the hail. The owner shared how uncertain they felt about the season ahead. It was difficult to know whether the apples would recover or if there would even be much of a harvest.

That first visit became a chance to learn about the effects of hail on an apple crop and to witness nature at one of its most vulnerable moments.

🍎 If you missed my first visit, you can read it here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaU5yhdD-XF/?img_index=1

Healing for Tomorrow: Nature's Lesson in Self-Preservation

A reflection on healing, resilience, and the lessons nature teaches us about self-preservation after two powerful hailstorms damaged an apple orchard.

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Returning to the Orchard

This week, I came back.

Walking through the same rows I had photographed in June, I immediately noticed how much had changed.

The tiny apples I had seen after the storms had grown into mature fruit, ready for harvest. Looking closely, I could still see the scars left behind by the hail. Some apples had small calluses, while others carried larger marks where the hailstones had struck.

The scars hadn't disappeared.

But neither had the apples.

Despite everything they had endured, they continued to grow, ripen, and reach maturity.

Seeing them hanging from the trees reminded me that nature has an incredible way of moving forward.

Nature's Way of Healing

As I looked at the scarred apples, I found myself thinking about self-preservation.

When a tree is wounded, its goal isn't to make the fruit look perfect again. Instead, it naturally protects itself by healing around the damaged areas. Those scars and calluses are evidence of that process.

Nature doesn't erase the injury.

It strengthens around it.

The apples may not look the way they normally would, but the tree did exactly what it was designed to do protect itself, preserve its fruit, and continue preparing for the seasons ahead.

There was something beautiful about that.

Every Apple Tells a Bigger Story

One of the orchard owner shared a fact that gave me an even greater appreciation for what I was seeing.

It takes approximately 88 leaves on an apple tree to produce just one apple.

Think about that for a moment.

Every apple represents months of energy collected by the tree. When hail damages young fruit, it doesn't just leave a mark on the skin. It affects the apple's development, its size, and even the overall quantity of the harvest.

Looking at these apples now, I realized each one represents determination—not perfection.

Looking Beyond Perfect

The owner also shared something that stayed with me.

After the hailstorms, they honestly debated whether they should even open the orchard this season. The apples no longer had the smooth, picture-perfect appearance visitors had come to expect.

Instead of making the decision alone, they asked their customers through a Facebook poll if people would still come despite the cosmetic damage.

The response was overwhelmingly supportive.

People said yes.

They weren't coming for perfect-looking apples. They were coming to support a family, a local orchard, and the hard work behind every harvest.

Hearing that made me smile.

The owner told me the season has been going well, and they've even found another way to share their harvest by offering homemade, ready-to-bake apple pies. Families can simply take one home, bake it, and enjoy the comforting taste of fresh orchard apples.

A Lesson I'll Remember

As I compared the photographs from my June visit with the ones I captured this week, I realized this return wasn't really about apples.

It was about healing.

The scars are still there.

They tell the story of two hailstorms that changed this growing season.

But they also tell the story of nature's remarkable ability to protect itself, adapt, and continue growing.

As I left the orchard, I couldn't help but think about what these apples had taught me.

Healing doesn't always erase the scars.

Sometimes healing is simply nature's way of protecting what matters most so life can continue.

The apples still carry the marks left by the hail, but they also carry a story of perseverance, growth, and hope.

Next spring, these trees will bloom again—not because this season was perfect, but because nature has an incredible way of preserving itself for what's still to come.

Perhaps that's the greatest lesson I took home from this visit.

"Self-preservation isn't about avoiding life's storms. It's about protecting what matters most so we can continue to grow, season after season".

-Connie Rohloff

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Healing for Tomorrow: Nature's Lesson in Self-Preservation

Healing for Tomorrow: Nature's Lesson in Self-Preservation

Returning to the Orchard

Nature's Way of Healing

Every Apple Tells a Bigger Story

Looking Beyond Perfect

A Lesson I'll Remember

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