You’re taking a walk towards the back of the school through the pool parking lot. Autumn is coming, as you notice the leaves turning red. Taking a closer look at the trees, you see a strange  plant growing on the branches. You wonder, “Does that grow in Westport? I’ve never noticed these before.”

There is a new fruit growing near the pool parking lot at Staples that faculty and students have been noticing. The fruit is known as Kousa Dogwood fruit. They originate from Asia, though they have been popularized in the U.S.  These edible plants bloom mainly around May to June. The fruits are usually eaten fresh, but can also be made into cakes or jams.

“I’ve picked one off of a tree one time,” Kristian Blanco ’23 said. “They kinda remind me of a fruit called a rambutan […]I always thought they were a rambutan when I first saw it.”

Despite their foreign appearance, some students are thinking about how to use these fruits.

“They are really alien looking but are actually edible if you pick them at the right time,” Mieszko Solowinski ’25 said. “They are a cut like peaches when ripe and can be used in a variety of different dishes.”

Despite it being just a small fruit, sometimes the small things in life can make a big difference.

“I think they’re kinda cool,” Blanco said, “and add life to the campus.”