Loquat Trees Covered in a Net

Part of my "Covered Trees" series.
Oil on panel, done during a break in the rain that washed the dusty nets back to a brilliant silky glow.

One of the most curious things I found in the village when I moved here is the covered trees.

I understand the practical reasons for covering fruit trees with nets: to protect the delicate flowers and fruits from birds, bugs, and dust.
But it's just so strange!

The rows of net-covered trees seem to me like a veil, or a string of candy, sometimes they're a fast Japanese train or loosely wrapped parcels of something that doesn't want to be wrapped.

The nets make it clear that these trees are here in the service of Man. If left to nature, the farmer will have nothing left to sell.
Don't worry about the birds, though.
The trees burst out of the nets in many places and premature fruit rolls on the ground.
Everyone gets to eat.

As I sat to paint this one, a lady came out of the house at the edge of the plantation and fed me coffee and cookies. The farmers who cover these trees find my fascination with their strangeness very strange indeed.