SPRINGTIME IN CYPRUS
A TIME MARKED BY BLOSSOMING TREES
Spring in Cyprus is marked spectacularly across the island by the blooming of wildflowers and blossoming trees. Trees in coastal areas tend to bloom earlier, and they have more intense blooms than trees at higher elevations. These trees in particular capture the magic of the season as they burst into bloom, and their vibrant colours are enhanced further by fresh and sunny days.
The main trees you can expect to see blooming around March include
CAMELIA TREES
Camelia: Although this tree is not native to Cyprus, it can be found in several gardens and parks. Its glossy evergreen leaves tend to enhance its large pink and light red blossoms.
CHERRY TREES
Cherry: Several varieties of this tree tend to bloom in early spring. Its dark green leaves tend to enhance its light pink and white blossoms.
ORANGE TREES
Orange: Usually found in orchards and citrus groves, these trees produce white blossoms that emit a fresh, zesty fragrance.
BITTER ORANGE TREES
Bitter Orange: These trees tend to produce striking, white flowers during early spring. This occurs after bearing fruit throughout the winter months.
JUDAS TREES
Judas: Although this tree often begins to bloom in late winter, pink pea-like flowers usually come to prominence in early spring.
ALMOND TREES
Almond: These trees showcase a series of pale pink or white fragrant flowers that bloom on bare branches. Along with leaves that usually emerge in early spring, the delicate, fragrant blossoms usually signal the end of winter and form a key food source for early pollinators like bees.
EUROPEAN NETTLE TREES
European Nettle: A key indicator of spring is the flowering spikes of this tree’s stinging nettle. These usually form clusters of small blooms of vivid colour. The most common of which usually bloom light green and white flowers as opposed to the rarer bright orange examples.
WILD PISTACHIO TREES
Wild Pistachio: The flowering part of this tree includes small, numerous, petal-less flowers that appear in panicles. Appearing in reddish or reddish-green colourations, before the fruit develops, their combined colours are often the most visible aspect of a pistachio tree in bloom.
OBLONG-LEAVED MAPLE TREES
Oblong-leaved Maple: These deciduous small trees are quite distinct from other maple species. They often produce green and yellow blooms that arrive in the form of short racemes during March. Unlike other maple trees, its flowers are not highly conspicuous and are usually dominated by red and yellow hues, but they do develop into distinctive winged fruits called samaras. This is only apparent on female trees, however.
BAUHINIA ORCHID TREES
Bauhinia Orchid: These trees tend to produce striking, orchid-like flowers in early spring. Their fragrant flowers are usually made up of five large petals that come in shades of pink, purple, white, or magenta.
