Warmth helped push the buds ahead

The much more seasonal temperatures over the past week helped the cherry trees to ‘catch up’ in their development, and get ready to move on to the next stage. Some buds have even started the fifth stage, where the florets fully extend from the bud and could mean the very first cherry blossoms of the year to open may come early next week.

Bloom earlier then predicted

These new revelations will now signal that the peak bloom may occur a few days earlier the predicted, with May 3-7 now being the potential dates. So next weekend may be the first chance to finally see the sakura cherry blossoms in High Park!

Here are a few photos of the florets and pink bulbs extending from the buds: