Cherry blossoms and magnolias bloom across Hamilton, with peak viewing for some this weekend
CBC
Cherry blossoms and star magnolias will be eye candy for people out and about in the Hamilton area this weekend, according to a curator with the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington, Ont.
"The cherries should be around peak bloom," said Alex Henderson, RBG's curator of living collections.
Henderson said this winter was unusually warm, which has extended the local bloom season.
"Everything's definitely early this year," he told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday.
"The crocuses bloomed 23 days earlier this year which is kind of a record," he said, "because it was so warm in the ground and it never really froze."
He said what normally blooms around this time of year includes:
Saucer magnolias will bloom in the next week or so, he said, and late-season magnolias will follow.
Other blooms to look out for in the coming weeks are crabapples, lilacs, irises, peonies and roses.
Cherry blossoms can be found in at the RBG's Arboretum, Rock and Laking gardens as well as Gage Park, Bayfront Park, Centennial Park in Dundas and other sites scattered around the region.
Ecology and horticulture experts previously told CBC News the early blooms are related to our increasingly warming planet.
According to data from the CBC Climate Dashboard, most major cities in Canada saw higher-than-average minimum temperatures over the last 30 days.
Of the 48 cities CBC analyzed, only 13 had lower-than-average temperatures. The highest temperatures compared to the historical average were found in Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Windsor.
Henderson said if there are earlier blooms followed by bad weather — like this past rainy, windy Wednesday — it can create a domino effect, since it could blow away some blooms and affect pollinators.
WATCH: RBG curator offers advice to photographers and gardeners
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.