Sakura Watch, April 9, 2014 - First hint of next stage seen

Sakura Watch, April 9, 2014 - First hint of next stage seen in only a handful of buds near the sports field in High Park. The very early stages show the tips of the buds begin to green and is just indicative of the very first stage of change. The frigid weather this year has no doubt slowed down the development of the sakura, however, the warmer weather that finally arrived this past week is now helping move the process along. Here are a few photos of the early signs of green in the sakura buds:

Hopefully after another check this coming weekend there will be more progress to report, and then we can all be able to start the countdown to full bloom for this year. It should be noted that many the usual time for the cherry blossoms to open are late April to early May, as they did open during that time in 2013 ( see last years peak bloom posts April 30, 2013, and May 3, 2013 ).

This year, they most likely will bloom near the same time or just after. I'll keep checking the progress twice a week now during mid-week and weekends so please come back to see the progress!