Cherry blossoms are blooming across Hamilton. Go see them before they're gone
CBC
Pink, white and impossibly delicate, cherry blossoms have erupted across Hamilton — but they won't be here for long.
A sure sign of spring, the ornamental flowers always draw crowds of admirers and selfie-seekers hoping to capture a bit of their fleeting beauty.
Right now they're at peak bloom.
"The flowers are very short-lived. It's beautiful and then it's gone," explained Patricia Simpson, president of the Hamilton chapter of the National Association for Japanese Canadians.
The symbol of Japan offers a lesson as well as beauty, she added.
"You have to seize the moment because if you don't, tomorrow they're gone," Simpson said. "It's a metaphor for life."
Families flocked to the flowers Sunday, posing for photos and gently pulling down branches to smell their fragrance.
Angeline Chua was there with three generations of her family, from her daughter Zoey to her parents-in-law.
They were drawn to the blossoms at Bayfront Park after being cooped up during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
"We have a beautiful stretch to take some pictures," said Chua, motioning at the blossom-heavy branches behind her.
The trees were a gift from Japan, she added. "This is wonderful to share peace between countries."
Many of the cherry trees that bring so much colour and joy to Ontario were donated by through something called the Sakura Project.
It saw 3,082 trees planted at 58 locations from schools and research sites to public parks and care facilities across the province before it ended in September 2012.
Launched by the Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto, the goal of the project was to promote understanding between Japan and Canada.
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