Montanans thought last year was a bad fruit year they haven’t seen anything yet.

Pictures were taken in December by Montana1stNews and it wasn’t pretty as pear tree buds were already beginning to swell (and that’s exactly what happens when it’s 40-50 for weeks on end).

So here we are now in February, and you guessed it all those “plump and pre-floral buds” are now toast, nada, kaput as the middle of the night temperatures have been descending.

Our prediction is that pears will be non-existent (just like last year) and we suspect very few cherries will make it to fruition (no pun intended) either.

Apples are a bit heartier and fare a bit better than those other two but still they won’t be like they used to be.

Huckleberries? Well, that’s another story altogether. Because they are so much higher in elevation than other fruits, they are dormant much longer and those “huck buds” (baby hucks) just don’t come out and do their thing until they should. In other words, they stay dormant longer due to the higher and colder temperatures.

Let’s face it folks, last winter was a royal disaster. In Flathead County we had more than a week of 40 plus degree temperatures in the month of January. And then boom! Two weeks later we experienced -30 to -40 temps and that was the bitter end.

Hang onto your hats and preserve what you can during the good years.