Sakura Watch March 20, 2024 - Blossom buds near the end of Stage 2 and will soon move to the next stage in High Park. Today’s visit was brief as my time was limited to exploring. Though the sun was deceivingly welcoming, the bitterly cold wind proved too much for these freezing hands as I struggled with some more tech issues with video and quickly gave in to my much more reliable photography. Although truth be told, the branches waving in the wind proved to be a challenge in its own right, wreaking havoc on my lense autofocus system, which I fell back to manual. For those wondering, wearing gloves while trying to work camera and phone equipment is more challenging than needed, so I submit my hands to frigid conditions, all in the name of my ‘art.’ With all that said and done, lets get back on track to what we all really want to know and learn more of what I discovered during my closer look at the cherry blossom buds progress. Read on to find out more…

Watch the Youtube video update below.

All buds have Green Tips and are well-shaped

Nearly all the buds I saw today were larger, fuller and well-shaped with their green tips exposed. All signs indicated the trees were in the last days of Stage 2 and would soon move to Stage 3 when the weather provided ample encouragement. As I noted in my last visit, seeing the buds look like this early in March is something I would have considered more abnormal when I first started this blog – and ironically, the first year I started in 2012 the bloom was the earliest I was able to witness which was April 12th - a full 3 weeks ahead of schedule! But, in the last few years the blooming dates have been slowly becoming earlier than the normal end of April to early May.

As a matter of fact, the global trends have been showing that other popular sites around the world such as Tokyo, Washington and even Vancouver have all been blooming earlier all thanks to the milder and warmer winters we’ve been experiencing around the world.

Here are some more detailed photos showing the buds during my visit today:

Spring is on the calendar, but winter is in the air

So the tug of war between spring and winter continues as the record-breaking warmer days of last week have fallen to the colder frigid days of flurries and snowfall for this week. Snow on the first day of Spring is somehow becoming the norm, as if Mother Nature is playing a game with us. Though it is hard to complain, considering how little cold and snow we have had compared to many other parts of Canada, a few days shouldn’t be too much of a bother. This also considers that the sakura trees' buds are still in their protective casings, so they shouldn’t be too affected by this weather.

So now we wait for the warmer days to return next week, when I anticipate we should begin to see the early signs of Stage 3. I still have a strong faith in my original premonition that we could see the blossoms begin to emerge by mid-April and a full bloom around the same time, not a bit earlier than what we saw last year. For now, let’s see just enjoy the snow!

Thanks for visiting, and watch for more updates soon.

Do Your Part to Help the Trees from Damage

As much fun as it is to get up close to enjoy the cherry blossoms truly, there are some who take it a bit too far and cause damage to the tree that can lead to irreparable harm so the trees can not protect themselves from insects and disease and eventually die. This leaves us with less mature trees to enjoy, so please, if you really want to enjoy the blossoms for many years to come, you need to do your part to help protect the trees and prevent any harm to them:

• Don’t pick or break off any blossoms

• Don’t pull down, shake or break off the branches

• Don’t climb, sit or stand on the trunks or branches - the mature trees are very old and not strong enough to support the weight and stress of people, even small children!

• Don’t leave any litter IN or around the trees - it’s so sad to see people putting their garbage in the hollow trunks of the older trees, which invites animals and other insects to nest inside and cause internal damage.

• DO take photos without harming the trees

• DO enjoy the blossoms and respect their immediate surroundings

• DO remember that respecting the trees from root to branch will help everyone to enjoy the blooming trees for many years to come

Donate to Support The Cherry Blossoms

The City of Toronto now accepts donations to help maintain existing trees and plant future ones. See this link for details.
Read more details and information on the City of Toronto - Cherry Blossom Website

Thank you all for visiting the site. Be careful, be safe, and watch for more updates soon.