[URBAN NOTE] "High Park cherry blossoms at risk due to cool spring"

[rfmcdonald]

blogTO noted that this year, the cherry blossoms are likely to bloom somewhat late, between the 5th and the 12th of May. CBC reports that the cool and erratic spring is likely to threaten the blossoms.

High Park's beautiful cherry blossoms will bloom late this year, if at all, according to one expert.

Jennifer Halpern, an outreach co-ordinator at the High Park Nature Centre, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning that the cold spring is to blame for the delay.

"Because of the mild winter weather and the cool spring now, we're feeling very certain that we're not going to have such a full show of the cherry blossoms," Halpern said.

She continued by saying many of the buds could turn directly into leaves instead of flowers and there could be far fewer blossoms this year.

"What we are seeing now is the buds are staying very tight. The tips have turned to green, but some of them have not widened, and instead they have elongated, and that's how we know they are turning to leaf."