While there's a map that tells you where all the trees are, choosing the best day to go looking isn't as clear.
"The cherry blossom season, on average, has begun earlier and earlier over the past four decades, with some plants or locations having advanced two or three weeks," says Dr. Elizabeth Wolkovich in a press release.Cherry blossoms are a sign of the start of spring around the world, Wolkovich adds, and the winter weather can affect the amount of blossoms. Given Vancouver's warm weather this year, it may affect when and how many flowers local trees produce.
"In addition, how early these cherry blossoms start is indicative of how lots of other early trees leaf out. That in turn determines how much carbon our forests take up, and so ultimately this could inform and improve predictions of climate change." In the first year of the contest, the average predicted peak bloom date for Vancouver was April 2. In 2023, the consensus was April 5, but when measured it was actually April 7, according to the UBC Botanical Gardens.