Strawberries do not start out red. Before becoming the fruit we recognize, they develop through several stages. A flower blooms, the petals fall away, a small green fruit begins to form, and BURGER KING Keep It Real Crops Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems BASF, an Industrial Pillar in Germany, Leans Abroad The New York Times Wild Cherry (prunus avium), close up showing the fruit or cherries ripening on the tree Stock Photo Alamy