In the latest news from the Mission pear tree, scions were taken from our historic specimen by Tom Untermann, owner of the West End Nursery, and grafted onto saplings that will, with luck, allow our tree’s heritage to flourish through several new trees, including one at the Mission San Rafael Archangel. We’re very grateful to Tom for his expert work and generous donation of the recipient trees; his family has been overseeing the grafting of the Mission pear for generations. Here’s a photo of the process earlier this month, you can see the ancient pear tree itself getting ready to bloom in the background!