Cherry Blossom Time: 2021 Marks Japan's Earliest Date

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Climate Change

Ed Hessler

It's cherry blossom time in Japan and this year a record was set--the earliest peak since 812 CE (March 26). It is one day earlier than the previous peak on March 27 in 1409 CE.

In a report the BBC notes that  "Yasuyuki Aono, a researcher at Osaka Prefecture University, has tracked the data back to 812."

 

He wrote that "'I have searched and collected the phenological data for full flowering date of cherry tree (Prunus jamasakura) from many diaries and chronicles written by emperors, aristocrats, governors and monks at Kyoto in historical time.'"

Such studies are known as "Phenology, the study of seasons and recurring biological events."

 

The reporting concludes with a note on Hiroshima's season which "began on 11 March, eight days earlier than the previous record, which was set in 2004." 

 

The link includes photos and links to more information. a graph of peak blooms from 812 before present to the present.I learned that in the species name above, "sakura" means blossom.