almond blossom ~ 02/04/12 ~ Cooper Molera Garden

almond blossom

Prunus dulcis

Rosaceae

Given my total confusion about early blooming blossoms (is it a cherry, or plum, or cherry plum?), I had no difficulty identifying this particular blossom tree. Why? Because there was a handy-dandy ID sign at the Cooper Molera Garden, which is filled with various fruit trees restored or representative of the 1860s. Really, I should be able to recognize this tree anyways, since I spent many CA winters playing underneath 2 almond trees that my dad planted next to my swing set. I used to pretend the white fallen petals were snow. Aw, fond memories!

I liked harvesting almonds with their split fuzzy hull and especially liked eating them. So, it came as a bit of surprise that I haven't liked almonds purchased at the store for a while, and I couldn't figure out why. Then, a friend recently gave me almonds from his dad's farm. They taste fresh like how I remember from when I was a kid. He said they're unpasteurized. As I was researching this post, I learned that there's now a mandatory pasteurization program for CA almonds shipped in North America. Who knew? Like with fresh apple cider, I do think some foods do taste better unpasteurized.

blossom ~ 01/14/12 ~ Monarch Grove

blossom
Prunus sp.
Rosaceae

Blossoms in January!?! Since I started Nature ID in 2009, I have been attempting to be mindful that what I observe has its limitations, most likely based on my poor understanding of what is what, or based on when I am actually outside to observe whatever it is that strikes me as unusual, or based on my poor memory. When I first saw these blossoms, I kinda figured this year's mild winter weather must have something to do with it. Is it global warming? Maybe not. I remembered seeing a recent post by Marie at 66 Square Feet about cherry blossoms that are typical in New York City in December, a place that often gets decent snow in the winter (I've been there for work and have had flights cancelled due to too much snow, so I remember the weather well from first-hand experience). I have also commented on John at Sinbad and I on the Loose blog stating that I believe I'm noticing local flowers more this January simply because the weather is warm and I'm actually outside to see the beauty. So then, when I started writing this post and looked through my labels, I found I already have a couple posts of other ornamental blossoms in January. Hmph! Truth be told, blossoms could be about 10 days early this year, but I can't really say or proffer the cause. I now am aware that different species bloom months later like our neighbor's unidentified April blossoms, whereas our native cherry species blooms in June. It's been helpful to have the actual dated records on Nature ID to remind me of the seasonal changes, rather than relying on my fickle memory.

ps 02/11/12 - I originally posted this as cherry blossoms, but I looked at a post from last year by Katie of PhyteClub of Prunus cerasifera, commonly called a cherry plum. Ya! Now I'm confused. How can one tell the difference between cherries and plums when they're blossoming? A quick search online showed me that many other people are confused, too, even in Japan where spring blossoms are regularly celebrated. Some say look for a notch in the petals (notch = cherry, no notch = plum), the shape of the petals (oval = cherry, round = plum, or vice versa), the length of the blossom stem (long = cherry, short or none = plum), the timing of the blooms (late = cherry, early = plum), and all of these have exceptions because there are so many cultivated varieties and crosses. Erg. Two sites I found informative are Quirky Japan Blog and Japan-Guide.com.

holly-leaved cherry ~ 06/10/11 ~ Pinnacles

holly-leaved cherry

Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia
Rosaceae

Here's my first native, non-garden blossom post. Apparently holly-leaved cherries are edible. I'll have to keep my eye out for them come September and October. I find the autumn timing of this wild fruit to be interesting considering commercial cherries are the first summer fruits available. In fact, we passed numerous roadside cherry stands on our way to and from Pinnacles.

blossom ~ 04/07/10 ~ at home

unknown flowering fruit tree
outside our bathroom window
Rosaceae

This tree was already blooming April 2 when we returned home from Rome. I believe it's strictly an ornamental as I've never seen any fruits from it. Based on last year's pic, dated April 21, 2009, and our anniversary hike at Garland, I'm guessing the blooms all around are early this year.

ps 02/11/12 - After reviewing all my blossom posts, I'm starting to suspect this may be an apple tree, with very small apples. The blooming time seems about right. The ground squirrel that likes to sit on the rocks outside our Bay facing windows frequently munches on small apples in late autumn and early winter. We've wondered where it gets its apples, because other than this tree there are no blooming fruit trees around the park.

blossom ~ 01/24/10 ~ Monterey

blossom
Prunus sp.
Rosaceae

Seeing the bright pink around here, reminds me it's ready to be spring. Notice the fall leaves still on the tree in the background of the first picture?

blossom ~ 04/21/09 ~ at home

unknown flowering fruit tree
from bathroom window
Rosaceae

I'd ask our neighbor what this tree is, but (I think I've mentioned this before) she's not the most approachable person.

blossom ~ 01/31/09 ~ Pacific Grove

blossom

Prunus sp.
Rosaceae