First thing in the morning, I opened my smartphone to see the soccer results.  It was no good.  Croatia, who were runners-up in the previous tournament, was more than a match for Japan. Just defeating favorites Germany and Spain and sending Croatia to a penalty shootout is a big deal.  The best 8 door is thick.  Well now, the winter cherry blossoms are in one-third in bloom outside.  Until just the other day, there was a scene with remnants of summer, but suddenly I was bewildered when I was shown a scene of the beginning of spring.  Fuyuzakura is a hybrid of Yamazakura and Mamezakura, and is a “double-blooming” cherry blossom that blooms not only in winter (November-December) but also in spring (April).  One-third of the flower buds will bloom in winter, and the other two-thirds will bloom in spring.  Compared to Somei-Yoshino, the leaves are smaller and the height of the tree is lower, making it easier for young trees to flower.  There are quite a few cherry blossoms that bloom from the end of autumn to early spring, such as Jugatsuzakura and Kanzakura.

朝一番、スマホを開けてみたのはサッカーの結果。やはりダメでした。前大会準優勝のクロアチアはやはり役者が一枚上でした。優勝候補のドイツとスペインを撃破し、クロアチアにPK戦に持ち込んだだけでも大したものです。ベスト８の扉は厚かっわけです。さてさて、戸外では冬桜が三分咲きです。つい先日まで夏の名残を留める光景が広がっていたのに、いきなり春の初めの光景を見せつけられて戸惑ってしまいます。フユザクラはヤマザクラとマメザクラの交雑種で、冬（11～12月）だけでなく春（4月）にも花を咲かせる「二度咲き」の桜です。花芽の三分の一を冬に咲かせ、残りの三分の二は春に咲かせます。ソメイヨシノと比べると、葉も小さく樹高も低く、若い木でも開花しやすい特徴があります。ジュウガツザクラ、カンザクラなど秋の終わりから春先にかけて咲く桜も結構あるんですね。