THE sight of a bumper crop of red apples overflowing on a tree nestling alongside a railway bridge in the city is baffling experts.

They say the apples’ post-snow presence in January is intriguing, as do those who reported it to the Echo.

Typically, the apple growing season lasts from May to October, with only a handful of varieties hardy enough to linger on until Christmas.

But for the second year running, the apple tree in Summer Lane, Whipton, still has a full crop of apples late into January.

Taxi driver Brian Allison, 63, from Newtown, said: “In 12 years of driving in the area, last year was the first time I’ve seen apples in January.

“I took a photo of the tree and showed some friends in the pub who all thought it was weird for there to be apples now.

“We were all in agreement they wouldn’t last long and were bound to drop off in the frost. But you can’t get much colder than what we’ve just experienced.

“I haven’t got a clue why there are so many at this time of year.”

Experts claim the crop, while not unique, is highly unusual, particularly given the recent weather.

Ben Pike, 52, a horticultural advisor for advisory and campaign group Orchard Link, said: “I can’t explain how they’ve managed to survive the recent freezing temperatures.

“The earliest apples are ready to eat from the tree in August, for example the Discovery. Then there are mid-season apples which should be eaten within about four weeks.

“And then there are the late varieties. Most of these are ready to harvest in late October, possibly early November. There are some which may fruit right up to Christmas, if it is mild enough.”

Jane Schofield, 52, secretary of Orchards Live, said: “It is a very magical thing to see apples in January. I am very surprised they haven’t fallen off throughout the cold weather. But there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be edible unless they’ve been frozen solid.

“They’re likely to be quite hard so I wouldn’t stand underneath the tree too long.

“Early cultivaters were quite clever in spreading the apple season out over the year, but normally late apples are picked by Christmas. So although there are some varieties that will last later, it is unusual to see apples on the tree at this time of year. It’s not unique, but definitely intriguing.”

Former Devon fruit farmer Chris Patt, 57, said the crop was down to the hormones of the tree.

“The natural mechanism in apple trees that make apples fall off is hormonal,” he said.

“There is a layer of cells where the apple stalk is attached to the twig which, under normal circumstances, receives a signal from the apple when it is ripe and ready to drop. After this signal the cells wither away and the apple falls. So I can only assume that the apples on this particular tree aren’t sending the right signal.

“I would only expect to see the odd apple at this time of year, certainly not a whole tree full, so something is definitely amiss. I would put it down to the genetics of the tree.”