Suddenly, its spring! Even with these sudden March rains we have bright blue skies and wild floral displays, and the Fresno County Blossom Trail is open again.
It’s amazing how fast blossom time sneaks up on us; but careful observers could see bud swell beginning a month ago, and now, some of the trees are past their full bloom. They are starting their year, growing another crop. The white blossoms of the almonds are gone in Fresno county, butt the pinks of the stone fruit are exploding with color.
Of course, where you are located makes a difference on what’s currently in bloom. It also affects when your blossom season will begin. Here in California the blooms start at the southern passes then roll their way north, with waves of colorful bursts of flowers. Usually, nuts apples and plums are white blossoms; you can tell the trees apart by their height – nut trees grow tall, but fruit trees are kept short for harvesting and their tops are cut flat. The plum trees have dark wood. The stone fruits – peaches, nectarines, and cherries – usually are pink to red, but sometimes white with pink highlights. The blossom season ends with the late bloomers – like cherries. I’ve always thought it was odd that cherries were among the last to bloom, but among the earliest to get ripe. That’s just one of the mysteries of nature.
Fresno County created their blossom trail 30 years ago and it’s turned into quite the event. Today there’s a Blossom Trail bike ride, a car show, 10 K run, festivals, and art shows. The trail has become a family tradition as our city neighbors connect with our agricultural roots and revisit the uniquely valley places and institutions we’ve come to love here, during this very beautiful time of year – spring.
So tell your town friends to come on out and reconnect with Ag. But they better hurry, blossom time is almost over.
I’m Len Wilcox and that’s the Western View from AgNet West.