Not to get too personal, but certain members of my family have a hoarding issue. Well, one in particular. So, yesterday, when I saw an apple caught up high in the canes of climbing rose, I figured that our family hoarder had just parked a piece of fruit so that he could enjoy a snack later after completing his outside chores. Our family hoarder likes to collect windfalls from a neighbor's apple tree, and this fruit looked just banged and bruised enough to be from that harvest.
But after our hoarder denied all knowledge, I thought back to the other caches of food that I've found in the boughs of this rose bush. I think that this apple must be an example of hoarding from another branch of the animal family. My hunch is that this apple represented a grey squirrel's scatter hoard. The rose bush served as the perfect larder: the apple could be secured on a thorn, it was out of reach of hungry competitors, and the wrapping of prickly canes served as effective protection.
Sorry to spoil some creature's seasonal feast, but after pruning back the rose bush yesterday, the larder is no more. And, myself, I've hoarded the last few red rose hips for a fall arrangement.
