Fifty shades of pink and purple

Most of the northern hemisphere welcomed spring with unexpected snowfalls. April photos picturing cities covered with a white blanket of frost was shared with frustration, because normally April must be the month when this white blanket has to be a formed by a bed of flower petals. Interestingly, some places welcomed spring earlier than normal; the famed Sakura season of Japan opened as usual in Okinawa in late January, and in Tokyo it commenced nine days earlier than anticipated, with the first blossoms seen on March 17. Nowadays, while the wonderfully blossoming Sakura cherry trees remain only to be seen on the northern Hokkaido island and in higher places in Japan, soon most parts of the country will be covered with "sakura snow," a pinky white blanket of falling petals. With the Sakura season nearing an end, it is time to talk about flowers.