BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Get your cameras out!
The cherry blossoms are springing to life behind the Buffalo History Museum.
However, a lot of the trees in the Japanese Gardens still have a way to go before reaching peak bloom.
According to the High Park Nature Center in the Toronto area, there are six stages to predicting when the cherry blossoms bloom.
- Stage 1 - green colored buds begin to emerge on the trees.
- Stage 2 - the florets become visible. When this happens, that means we are about two weeks away from seeing the flowers blossom.
- Stage 3 - the florets begin to extend out of the bud. This means we're about 6-10 days from peak bloom.
- Stage 4 - individual blossoms can be seen.
- Stage 5 - flowers begin to open 4-6 days before peak bloom.
- Stage 6 - peak bloom. Peak bloom happens when at least 70 percent of the blossoms are open. Depending on the weather, the flowers are open for about 4 to 10 days.
The trees here in Buffalo usually bloom after the cherry blossoms do in Washington, D.C. You can see trees at the Buffalo History Museum are in different stages.
The trees closest to the history museum will be in bloom first. Those trees are currently in stage five. The cherry blossoms closest to Hoyt Lake are somewhere between stages three and four. They will begin to bloom in the next six to ten days. In other words, the best time to view the cherry blossoms will most likely be sometime next week.
The annual Cherry Blossom Festival will take place at the Buffalo History Museum between May 1st and 5th. You can see a full schedule here.
The festival encourages others to plant cherry blossom trees across Buffalo in order to "bring a springtime 'Blizzard of Blossoms'" to the Queen City. The festival also raises awareness about the cherry blossoms in the Japanese Gardens.
