NORFOLK, Va. — Every spring, cherry blossom trees transform landscapes with clouds of pink and white flowers. But those stunning blooms don’t appear all at once. Cherry blossoms actually go through six stages of development before reaching the moment known as peak bloom.
The process begins with green, round buds. At this stage, the buds are tiny, just starting to form along the tree’s branches.
Stage two is when the florets are visible. Inside each bud, the individual flower clusters, called florets, begin to emerge. This stage is important because once florets appear, scientists can estimate that peak bloom is within three weeks…