A Southern California cherry hotspot just had its first complete wipeout. Villa del Sol Sweet Cherry Farms in Leona Valley—billed as the region's largest U-pick cherry orchard—won't harvest a single cherry this year, the first time in 23 seasons. Owner Gary Shafer says an unusually warm winter kept his 3,600 trees from getting the "chill hours" they need; they blossomed, bees pollinated, but no fruit formed, reports the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles County logged its warmest October-to-March stretch in at least 131 years, with average temperatures about 4 degrees above the long-term norm, part of a broader pattern of warmer, shorter winters tied to climate change. Crops further north in the Golden State survived, notes the Packer, but the heat pushed the harvest weeks ahead of schedule.
Leona Valley's other cherry orchards also came up empty, and the state's major growing region in the Central Valley saw reduced yields after record warmth in March and rain in April. Another popular U-pick spot, Guldseth Cherry Orchard in Riverside County, likewise posted a "no cherries for 2026" notice. Still, Leona Valley's 53rd annual Cherry Parade and Festival is on for June 6, cherries or not. Shafer, 72, plans to sell honey from the bees that he rented to work his barren trees—and says the well-watered, well-fed trees "look happier today than they have in a long time," giving him reason to bet on next year.
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