🔍THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR👀

🎎 Ume (梅の花):
Flowers grow directly from the branch and have no stem.

are the sparrows too
having a private party?
plum blossoms
雀らも身祝するか梅の花
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1804.
Trans. David G. Lanoue.

#Kyoto #plumblossoms #京都 #梅 #Japan

🍑Momo (桃の花):
Flowers bloom in pairs from short stems (petals are always pink, and diamond in shape).

my mean peach tree
nice and chubby
with blossoms
苦桃の花のほちゃほちゃ咲にけり
-Issa, 1809.

#Kyoto #peach #peachblossoms #京都 #桃 #Japan

@camelliakyoto what is the implication of a mean peach tree?

@screwlisp For me I can imagine quite a scraggly old tree that looks old and bent and a little 'haunted'. But even on this tree beauty emerges, softening its appearance.

🌸Sakura (桜):
Individual flowers grow from longer stems, generally in clusters. The oval petals typically have an indent at the tip.

cherry blossoms fall-
come out and play
devil in me!
散る桜心の鬼も出て遊べ
-Issa.

#Kyoto #cherryblossoms #sakura #京都 #桜 #Japan

🌰Almond (アーモンド)-
The flowers are very similar to sakura, but petals darken towards centre (they have a jasmine like aroma).

Only the leaves are gently stirred
By the soft breathing of the gale,
And in the almond-scented vale
The lonely nightingale is heard.
-Oscar Wilde.

🍏Japanese Quince (木瓜)-
These blossoms are far easier to tell apart, as they look a little like camellia flowers in miniature (and tend to come in darker pinks).

a nippy wind-
quince fruit
quince blossoms
うそ寒き風やぼけのみ木瓜の花
-Kobayashi Issa, 1808.

#Kyoto #quince #京都 #木瓜

@camelliakyoto this is one of my favorite flowers!

One time when I was little, I saw bumblebees visiting Japanese quince in the evening sun, and it was the most beautiful thing I had seen so far.

🍑Apricot (杏)-
Ume ('prunus mume') are commonly known as 'plum' in English, but in reality they are related to both the plum and apricot families, so it's probably easier to call them by their Japanese name.

Apricot trees, 'anzu' (杏) in Japanese, are a far rarer sight.
#Japan

💜Plum (スモモ/酢桃)-

Easily confused with the ume (prunus mume), prunus salicina goes by many names, including the Japanese plum, Chinese plum, Asian plum and Willow-leaf cherry.
Although less commonly eaten than ume, sumomo are typically prepared in the same way.
#Kyoto #酢桃

I'm sure I am forgetting some blossom or other, so if you can think of any more seen in Japan around springtime then let me know!

And remember, not all blossoms are pink or white...💛💚🥹

#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #blossoms #sakura #桜 #梅 #springtime