Appreciation: First International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition

Discussion in 'Ornamental Cherries' started by wcutler, Mar 19, 2022.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    The First International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition ended on February 28, 2022. Students, researchers, and citizen scientists competed to predict the peak bloom date of cherry trees at four locations around the world: Washington D.C., USA; Kyoto, Japan; Vancouver, Canada; and Liestal-Weideli, Switzerland. Vancouver selected for its location the 'Akebono' trees in Maple Grove Park, at the corner of SW Marine Drive and Yew Street. Douglas Justice, Associate Director, Horticulture & Collections at UBC Botanical Garden, agreed to determine the blooming date for these trees and has been photographing them beginning on March 10. With hardly an data to go on for our location, the contestants came up with April 2 as the peak bloom date (70% open) this year for our location's trees.

    I will collect the set of photos here. You can see photos of the trees in bloom in previous years in the Kerrisdale | UBC Botanical Garden Forums thread. Photos from last year are in posting #167 in that thread.

    So far (until March 18) there has been barely any discernable colour. Here is the first photo, taken March 10.
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220310_P1280657.jpeg

    These are in date order, March 15 to 18.
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220315_IMG_2523.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220316_IMG_2525.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_22020317_IMG_2534.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_22020318_IMG_2535.jpeg

    In warmer areas of Vancouver, this cultivar is much more advanced, flowers lightened up and puffy, some flowers already open. But temperatures are supposed to reach and stay at 15C degrees next week, so that should advance the flowering here in Kerrisdale quite a bit.
     
  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Douglas has added blossom photos to the set, so here are
    March 21
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220321_IMG_2536.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220321_IMG_2537.jpeg
    March 22
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220322_IMG_2539.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220322_IMG_2542.jpeg
     
  3. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Douglas's photos from March 23
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220323_IMG_2546.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220323_IMG_2545.jpeg

    March 24
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220324_IMG_2547.jpeg
     
  4. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I swung by the park last evening, March 24. I'm glad I'm not calling the peak bloom date on this. The tree to the right is ahead of the others, at least on the branch closest to the road.
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20220324_184856.jpg
     
  5. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Here are Douglas's photos from March 25, In the third photo, you can see the branch where I photographed the flowers above, at the right side over the black car - clearly ahead of the other blossoms.
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220325_IMG_2553.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220325_IMG_2554.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220325_IMG_2555.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2023
  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Open! How did this happen in three days?!
    Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220328_IMG_2557.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220328_IMG_2558.jpeg Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20220328_IMG_2559.jpeg
     
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  7. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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  8. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I don't know if this link will work for people, a Vancouver Sun article interviewing Douglas Justice:
    Project open to all aims to predict cherry blossoms

    UBC asks global citizen scientists to predict cherry blossom seasons - Vancouver Sun (2022-03-31)
    They let me copy this. Am I allowed to post it?
     
  9. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Last edited: Jan 11, 2023
  10. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Here is the thread for the 2023 contest:
    Appreciation: - Second International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition - 2023 | UBC Botanical Garden Forums

    The competition's website has links to last year's entries, where you can read how various entrants went about coming up with their blooming date predictions.
    Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition – Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom competition (gmu.edu)

    I don't know that I should close this thread, but please, do not post anything here regarding the current contest.
     

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