In recent times when the seasons seem to be changing faster, even the early-blooming Kawazu cherry blossoms have started to show their young leaves. Now well-known nationwide, Kawazu cherry blossoms can be seen in various places across the country. They begin to bloom as early as mid-January in some locations and reach their peak around mid-February. Unlike Somei Yoshino, which starts to grow leaves after the flowers fall, Kawazu cherry blossoms begin to sprout leaves from the full bloom stage. When we talk about the cherry blossom front, it usually refers to the flowering front of Somei Yoshino. According to this year’s forecast, the first flowering is expected to be on March 18th in Tokyo, followed by Fukuoka on the 19th, Nagasaki and Yokohama on the 20th. With the increasing fame of Kawazu cherry blossoms and their widespread planting throughout the country, there might be a distinction between the first cherry blossom front represented by Kawazu cherry blossoms and the second cherry blossom front represented by Somei Yoshino.

半月近くも季節の巡りが早くなった昨今、早咲きの河津桜も若葉が目立ち始めました。今ではすっかり有名になり、全国各地で河津桜が見られるようになりました。早いところでは１月中旬には咲き始め、２月中旬に見頃を迎^_^えます。ソメイヨシノは花が散り始めてから葉が出ますが、河津桜は満開の頃から葉が出始めます。桜前線と言えばソメイヨシノの開花前線を指します。今年の予想では、開花トップは東京の3月18日で、19日に福岡、20日に長崎、横浜が続くそうです。河津桜がこれだけ有名になり、全国各地にも植栽されるようになると、河津桜の開花前線が第１次桜前線、ソメイヨシノの開花前線が第２次桜前線と言う事になるかもしれません。