Sakura Watch, May 6, 2019 - First open blossom spotted today in High Park on one tree near the sports fields. These trees are traditionally the first ones to begin to bloom. There were about a dozen open blossom clusters scattered throughout the branches. This opening act marks the official beginning of the cherry blossom season.
Watch the latest YouTube update below:

Less than 1% of overall bloom

Now, to keep things in perspective, this is less than 1% of the total expected bloom to occur, so we still have a ways to go before we see more abundant blossom-filled trees. While walking through the Park, you will notice most of the trees are filled with bright pink and near white bulbous florets eager to open. They just need a couple more good days of sun to help them open up.

Don’t see any open in the blossoms? At such an early stage, you will need to have a sharp eye or a powerful zoom lens, to spot a single open flower or two hiding high above in the canopy. Sometimes they may even be tucked away near the lower trunk of tree, as see in my photo gallery from today - have a look:

Rain means dates pushed out again

Though just when it seemed the sun and warmth were back to stay, once again the rain makes its way into the forecast. The excessive moisture will slow down the progress a bit as the trees wait for the sun to return on Friday and into the Mother’s Day weekend.

This latest change pushes out my predicted peak bloom dates by a few days which I predict will now occur between May 10-15th.

Reminder - Road Closures During Cherry Blossom Season

For those who haven’t already heard, starting Saturday May 4th, at 7 a.m., High Park will prohibit any vehicle form entering the Park (see my special report about the ban and my Maps & Directions for alternative options). TTC Wheel-Trans will be the ONLY exception - no one else will be allowed to drive into the park until the cherry blossom season ends. The City will announce when the park will re-open to vehicular traffic.

So you’re only options are to walk, bike or take TTC. I know and understand that there are some people who will be impacted by this, and this is the first year the City has done this, so there will inevitably be some lessons learned. In the meantime, they do encourage those that there are 14 other locations throughout the city that people can experience the park without any vehicle bans or crowds as large as High Park is expected to have.