Taphrina deformans

At this time of year most people are not thinking about next year’s fruit crop, but to be successful with peaches and nectarines, the critical time is now.  There is a particularly obnoxious foliar disease commonly called “peach leaf curl (PLC)”, caused by a fungal pathogen, Taphrina deformans.  This fungal foliar affliction can defoliate peach and nectarines on both ornamental and fruit bearing trees.  This fungus is responsible for creating strange and weird contorted, puckered up, yellow to red to purplish, deformed leaves.  Strangely enough, the PLC fungus...

As I was out and about in orchards seeing which apples have yet to picked and simply enjoying the colors of ripening fruit; suddenly, I was stopped in my wanderings to be absolutely stunned and amazed by the fall leaf colors of peaches.  I had NEVER noticed the subtle colors and beauty of peach leaves that I observed for the first time this year.  There were purples, reds, oranges, yellows and every shade or tint in-between and how beautiful they looked as they were starting to fall.  I was savoring the moment, when my mind immediately jumped to- “Hey, peach leaves are...