Peach (Prunus persica)

Only weeks removed from a spring blossom, this young peach hangs quietly among the leaves, already wearing the familiar velvet of the fruit it will become. For now it is small, firm, and green, while inside the pit begins to form and the tree settles into the long work of summer. At this stage the flower has already been pollinated, the petals have fallen away, and the ovary of the blossom has begun developing into the peach. The soft fuzz appears very early and will remain on the skin as the fruit enlarges. During the next several weeks, the peach will grow rapidly while the pit forms and hardens inside.