Attention, flower lovers.
Your chance to see cherry blossoms will be best this weekend as temperatures explode into the 80s Saturday.
Recently, cherry blossoms have been popping early, around Mother’s Day and before, due to climate change.
But this year is considered more normal by Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center Coordinator Nikki Rothwell.
“(Varieties) golds are at 30%, and Emperor Francis is at 50%. The blossom will go really fast if it gets to 80 degrees,” Rothwell said.
Some sweet cherries and apple blossoms have reached peak.
Rothwell is surprised how cold it has been this season and reports early freeze damage on sweets and tarts.
MSU has two new bio weather stations in Leland and Omena that have consistently been colder than most places in northern Michigan.
“We definitely have damage ... It’s not looking terrible, and now my concern is pollination for sweet cherries opening and the bees aren’t flying,” Rothwell said. “We will have a good idea of what the crop will look like, in a couple of weeks. Everyone is trying to assess.”
Nicole Sprinkles, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said to go along with the warmup, Saturday is followed by a brief cooldown before the temperature ramps up next weekend.
For peak cherry blossom weather, temperatures need to be cooler. The warmer, the faster they are gone.
“(Northern Michigan in general) will experience some rain that will help some dried areas get relief,” Sprinkles said.
Cherry blossoms in Leelanau County transform a gray and dim landscape into a white-andpink reprieve.
Prime viewing spots include County Road 633 between Traverse City and Suttons Bay, up-and-down M-22, rural roads around Northport, Lake Leelanau and Cedar.
Cherry blossoms, known in Japan as “sakura,” represent the mortality and beauty of nature.
