Sakura Watch, April 10, 2025 – Cooler temperatures slow down bud development
Sakura Watch, April 10, 2025 – Cooler temperatures slow down bud development as the sakura trees remain locked into Stage 2. This is a good thing, as the trees are helping the buds to protect themselves from the cold since they still have their protective outer layers intact. The weather outlook for the rest of April remains mixed, which dashes any hopes of an earlier-than-normal bloom as we’ve seen in recent years. If this cooler trend continues, we would instead be more likely to see the bloom to only begin at the end of April and into early May. Let’s dive a little more into what was observed during today’s visit to High Park.
Watch the Youtube video update below.
Stage 2 continues
The buds remain in Stage 2 with slow progress, thanks to the cooler temperatures we’ve seen lately. On the bright side, the buds still show fuller, rounder shapes and prominent bright green and yellow tips emerge from each bud. During this stage, the buds keep their protective outer layers intact and do their job protecting the bu’ insides from the damaging cold. If the buds were in the latter stage 3 or 4, they would have likely been damaged, as seen in 2016. But thankfully, today I saw all the buds to be healthy and simply waiting for warmer, sunnier days to return. Here are some photos showing the current sakura buds in Stage 2 from today’s visit:
The Weather is to blame
Mother Nature is always unpredictable, even more so now with the effects of climate change showing more signs of erratic swings in temperatures and precipitation–I mean, come on, snow fell again today?! Ok, it was more light flurries and wet snow, but it was still wintery weather nonetheless. On average, temperatures have been below the expected average for this time of year. So what does this all mean? Well, colder weather tends to slow the sakura buds’ progress, while warmer weather triggers them to excel. As the cold continues, the progress slows, pushing back the bloom dates. To be clear, as of today, the effects are minimal and only project a slight delay in the potential Sakura blooming dates.
I predict the trees will bloom in High Park by the end of April and early May.
So now my eyes will be glued on the Weather Network to see signs of any improvement in more spring-like weather in the weeks ahead. More visits in the weeks ahead will help determine when the bloom begins. So, follow me along as we start our weekly visits, and watch for new 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.