You have seen the petal fall turn the orchard floor white, but probably have never even heard of sepal fall.  Admittedly, it is not nearly as aesthetic as its predecessor, but sepal fall has it’s own charm as the almonds appear to wear

royal crowns.  The sepal is the outer “cover” of the bud and is the first to emerge in the spring and the last part to fall in April.  It dries into a golden-brown color and once the almond begins to grow it is slowly forced up and outward until it can no longer grasp the hull and falls to the ground.

I know… not super exciting, but now you can really impress your friends with this amazing new knowledge!