I love this time of year. In the middle of a blistery California winter (yeah right), my favorite flowering fruit tree makes it's short but powerful debut all across this fair city! Second only to the Japanese flowering plum tree, the Japanese cherry tree is the most common and beloved tree throughout the city by the bay. For approximately two to three intense weeks these otherwise non-descript trees come out of their quiet dormant state and make a sensational flowering appearance in the darkened surroundings of a winter climate. The city streets are lined with them casting off a beautiful shade of pink or white, blood red buds, and speckling the sidewalks with white snowflake-like petals that smell of sweet bubble gum or cotton candy.
The next time you are out strolling the city streets, stop, take a look around you, take a deep breath and smell those wonderful delicate flowers for very soon they will be gone for another year.
Images: ©Copyright Trey Gallaher