Delicate as though they may appear, cherry blossoms are surprisingly resilient - and the sakura trees of Toronto will wait no longer for Old Man Winter to eff right off.
Sakura in High Park reports that, despite the effects of this weekend's brutal ice storm and persistent low temperatures, High Park's cherry blossoms show positive signs of blooming within weeks.
"The cherry blossom trees have survived the storm," reads an update on the website, which is dedicated to monitoring the development of cherry blossoms in High Park.
"Even snow and ice wasn't enough to deter these buds from getting ready to make their grand entrance into spring 2018!"
Video footage shows that the unseasonable April storm did have some impact on High Park. Small branches twigs were found scattered around the snow-covered grounds early this week, overall damage is said to have been minimal.
"Only one tree suffered any significant damage where it lost one its larger branches," writes Sakura in High Park, "but all the rest appear to have survived the icy onslaught unscathed."
"Suck an egg, ice storm!" is what the trees might say, if trees could talk and also personified weather events.
With the majority of buds on trees around High Park now showing green tips, and warmer weather on the way, experts say things are looking good for an early-to-mid May bloom.
The cherry blossoms as seen last year in High Park. Photo by Hector Vasquez.
"Though this is a positive sign, it does lead into the question of what percentage of blossoms will be seen so late in the season," cautions Sakura in High Park.
"Previous years have proven that the farther past the usual end of April, early May bloom season it takes the buds to reach maturity, the less amount of blooms will actually occur."
Some buds may go straight to leaf and bypass the blossoming stage altogether, but the blossoms are coming either way – whether the weather starts cooperating or not.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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