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Every spring, tens of thousands of people flock to High Park in Toronto to catch a glimpse of one of the city’s most fleeting spectacles: the cherry blossom bloom.
The delicate flowers typically peak between mid-April and mid-May. High Park says its cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on Friday, and with the cool, calm weather in the forecast, the flowers could last up to 10 days. (The park has closed its roads to vehicles for the duration of the bloom, as thousands are expected to make their way to the park hillside over the coming days.)
The cherry blossoms are already drawing families, photographers, seniors and newcomers to the park hillside — people from all around the city converging to experience the same moment.
PHOTOS | People flock to High Park for annual cherry blossom viewing:
For Byron Zhou, a third-year electrical engineering student, the timing was perfect.
“It just feels like spring,” he said, visiting the park the day after his last exam with his mother, Janet, by his side.
Byron Zhou, left, and his mother, Janet, take a selfie under a cherry blossom tree at High Park on Thursday. (Oksana Shtohryn/CBC)
Among the crowd was a group of women in flowing red skirts, dancing on the hill to the delight of onlookers. Lucy Zhao, who has lived in Canada for over 30 years, organized the outing through Parkway Forest Community Centre. More than 70 per cent of her group are seniors, and half are new immigrants — for many, it was their first time visiting High Park.
Members of a group from Parkway Forest Community Centre pose for a photo at High Park on Thursday. (Oksana Shtohryn/CBC)
The blossoms, however, are more fragile than they look. Rohith Rao, development director at High Park Nature Centre, said the sheer volume of visitors poses a real threat to the trees. Pulling down branches or climbing trunks for photos makes the trees susceptible to disease and long-term damage.
“You want to leave them for the birds and wildlife to enjoy, because this is also their home,” Rao said.
Rohith Rao, development director at High Park Nature Centre, speaks about the care and maintenance of the park’s cherry blossom trees, at High Park on Thursday. (Oksana Shtohryn/CBC)
And while most visitors arrive with their eyes fixed upward, Carolynne Crawley wants them to look down. The co-founder of Turtle Protectors says baby turtles — some no bigger than a coin — emerge from nests on the same park hill every spring, right as the blossoms open. Her volunteers quietly monitor the hillside, protecting hatchlings and guiding them safely to water.
Carolynne Crawley, co-founder of Turtle Protectors, holds signs warning visitors about baby turtles at High Park on Thursday. (Oksana Shtohryn/CBC)
“Everybody’s busy looking up,” Crawley said. “We’re trying to get people to look down.”
A turtle nest protector placed by volunteers from Turtle Protectors sits on the hillside at High Park on Thursday. (Oksana Shtohryn/CBC)
