After a few false starts, there’s no denying now that spring has officially sprung in Toronto, and with it comes the return of one of the city’s most spectacular sights: the annual cherry blossom bloom in High Park.
It’s been a rollercoaster few weeks for Toronto, weather-wise, after blustry lows, an ice storm, biblical levels of rain fall and, to cap it all off, a summerlike Thursday with temperatures reaching 20 degrees Celsius.
Not that I’m complaining — not about that last part, at least — but I couldn’t help wondering how the dramatic temperature swings would affect the city’s most-anticipated plant life.
But according to the latest update from Toronto’s resident cherry blossom expert, Sakura Steve, High Park’s cherry blossoms appear to be utterly unfazed by the unpredictable weather.
Steve says that, even in spite of nearly every type of weather imaginable being unleashed on the city within a seven-day span, the buds are continuing to grow, and have officially moved into Stage 2.
In Stage 2, buds grow larger and rounder as their tips transition from deep bronze or red to green. In the next stage, which we can expect to see in the coming weeks, the buds will transform into florets, the first sign of the flowers they’ll soon become.
As for Steve’s updated prediction for when full bloom might occur, his current estimate is for late April to early May, falling well within the average time frame of the bloom.
Full bloom dates can be delayed or sped up by any number of factors, including precipitation, temperatures and frost, so the weather in these coming weeks has the potential to make or break Steve’s current predictions.
This year, there are also a number of new trees, which have been planted to replace those which have been damaged in the past, to look forward to, adding even more baby pink blooms to the already brimming park.
It’s not just High Park that you should keep your eyes on, though; the breathtaking trees can be found at several locations around the city, including Centennial Park, Robarts Library, Trinity Bellwoods Park and Toronto Island Park.
