SakuraWatch 2010 March 25: Is It Worth Going This Weekend?
Heck Yeah!
Those of you lucky enough to go to the Bielensen park last weekend will no doubt agree that the sakura blossoms were in classic form. From the pictures I have seen you people posting, you had a good time and got some great photos! And thanks to the expansion of the dirt lot for parking, there was actually enough parking in the park, for a change.
But we know that the sakura blossoms are notoriously short-lived. So the big question is whether the trees will be in good enough condition to warrant a return visit this coming weekend.
I visited the park this afternoon to check on the condition of the trees, and I would say that the answer to that question is "Yes."
As you can see on this map, I've broken the SakuraWatch down into five zones.
1: along the west side of the lake
2: along the entry road
3: north of the entrance, by the dirt lot
4: south of the entrance, on the grassy knoll
5: the western side of the peninsula, across from Zone 1
Zone 1: Lakeside
The trees still have a gorgeous pink hue.
A closer look shows that the petals are gone on a lot of the flowers. Especially further south along the lakeside.
But there are still a good number of flowers in bloom. I'd say the trees generally range from 60-90% capacity.
This is further north along the lakeside, near the spot I call Aimee's pavilion. The trees aren't as full as last week, but there are still enough flowers to get some good photos.
Zone 2: Entry Road
Zone 3: North
The trees in this zone are the best, probably because they bloomed a touch later than the lakeside.
The further north you go in Zone 3, the better the trees look.
The trees in this area are still at full capacity.
Zone 4: Grassy Knoll
Some of the trees in this zone never really did anything this year.
Zone 5: Peninsula
This zone has seen some degradation too, but in general, I'd say it's the second-best set of trees.
Those of you lucky enough to go to the Bielensen park last weekend will no doubt agree that the sakura blossoms were in classic form. From the pictures I have seen you people posting, you had a good time and got some great photos! And thanks to the expansion of the dirt lot for parking, there was actually enough parking in the park, for a change.
But we know that the sakura blossoms are notoriously short-lived. So the big question is whether the trees will be in good enough condition to warrant a return visit this coming weekend.
I visited the park this afternoon to check on the condition of the trees, and I would say that the answer to that question is "Yes."
As you can see on this map, I've broken the SakuraWatch down into five zones.
1: along the west side of the lake
2: along the entry road
3: north of the entrance, by the dirt lot
4: south of the entrance, on the grassy knoll
5: the western side of the peninsula, across from Zone 1
Zone 1: Lakeside
The trees still have a gorgeous pink hue.
A closer look shows that the petals are gone on a lot of the flowers. Especially further south along the lakeside.
But there are still a good number of flowers in bloom. I'd say the trees generally range from 60-90% capacity.
This is further north along the lakeside, near the spot I call Aimee's pavilion. The trees aren't as full as last week, but there are still enough flowers to get some good photos.
Zone 2: Entry Road
Zone 3: North
The trees in this zone are the best, probably because they bloomed a touch later than the lakeside.
The further north you go in Zone 3, the better the trees look.
The trees in this area are still at full capacity.
Zone 4: Grassy Knoll
Some of the trees in this zone never really did anything this year.
Zone 5: Peninsula
This zone has seen some degradation too, but in general, I'd say it's the second-best set of trees.