Posts Tagged ‘spring’

This week all the flowering trees and shrubs have come to life.  Also, a number of times I have looked out the subway window as the train passed Mount Pleasant cemetery and noticed the blossoms on the trees there.  Past experience says that the pinks and whites of these trees may not last long.  So I took my camera and macro lens to Mount Pleasant cemetery and played.

There were lilacs and forsythia and many others that I don’t now the name of.

little pink buds on the end of a branch of a tree

clusters of white blossoms on a branch of a tree with a brownish marble tombstone in the background

close up of the flowers of a horse chestnut tree.  Small white petals with pink and yellow markings, and large green seed pods.

close up a cluster of lilac buds, with one flower already open that is partially obscured by buds

bright pink flower on a blossoming tree

branches from a tree laden with pink blossoms in the foreground, a cemetery tombstone in the background

two white flowers in full bloom on a flowering tree

flowers partially open.  One bud is still closed and it is pink, when the flowers open they are white as the petals are white with pink tinges on the edges.

pinkish purple little flowers on a branch along with some dried brown pods left over from autumn.

chestnut tree in bloom in a cemetery.

A branch of a forsythia bush with many little yellow flowers on it

close up of new growth, new leaves, on a branch of a flowering tree

below: Apparently this tree is called a Moose Maple.

new growth on a moose maple tree, little dangling green parts and new leaves that are a pinkish colour
new growth on a moose maple tree, little dangling green parts and new leaves that are a pinkish colour - a slightly out of focus ant is climbing on the stem of one of the leaves.

 

The Sakura Project

The Sakura Project was started in the year 2000 with the objective of planting 3000 Japanese flowering cherry (Sakura) trees in Ontario as a symbol of Japan-Canada friendship.  By the time the project came to an end in the autumn of 2012, 3,082 trees had been planted at 58 locations across Ontario.  One of the locations was the St. George campus of the University of Toronto.  Here, at the corner of Harbord and Huron streets, 70 trees were planted in 2005.

Today, 4 May, the trees were in full bloom.  Perfect.   (Well, almost perfect – a little blue sky instead of the cloud cover would have been an added bonus)

 

rows of cherry trees in blossom in front of the Robarts library, a large concrete building

sakura, cherry blossoms, in full bloom - a branch laden with white flowers

sakura, cherry blossoms, in full bloom - a number of trees in a row.  A woman is using a smartphone to take photos of the blossoms.  she is just visible at the bottom of the picture

sakura, cherry blossoms, in full bloom - a pathway with a row of cherry trees on both sides.  The branches of the trees almost meet at the top to forma canopy of blossoms.

sakura, cherry blossoms, in full bloom  - close up of a cluster of blossoms

A couple sitting on a bench that is just behind a row of blossoming cherry trees.

Spring in the City

Hopeful signs of a new season that I have spotted this week.

A large garden full of orange tulips.  In the background is the grass and trees of St. james Park.  There is a couple sitting on a bench on the far side of the tulip bed.

orange tulips galore in St. James Park

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Tulips and other spring plants starting to grow in front of a wall that has been painted with graffiti

signs of spring in front of the wall

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Flowering white tree in front of the entrance of Metropolitan United Church

Even spring can look grey if you look at it from the right angle.  Metropolitan United church.

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flower boxes with dark pink petunias.

pretty in pink, and purple…. boxes of flowers along the fence, Davenport Road

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many yellow and white daffodils are growing in front of a picket fence.  There are a number of trees with new leaves behind the fence.

daffodils and picket fence, Riverdale Farm

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A row of orange tulips growing in front of St. James cathedral.  Close up of the building so only part of one wall, with lower corner of a window, can be seen.

growing in the shadow of St. James cathedral

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A tree with pink blossoms is growing in front of brick row houses, one red brick and one that has been painted light grey.

pink on brick, near Kensington

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Ivy begins to grow again on a wall that has been painted with beige, blue and orange graffiti.   Close up picture of the graffiti so it looks like an abstract shape

almost smiling at the ivy growing on the alley wall

 

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