Technically speaking, we’re only two weeks away from the official first day of spring (March 19th). However, blooms in Central Park’s Great Lawn might disagree, with the first signs of cherry blossoms bringing beautiful pops of pink and white to the park already!
According to Central Park’s cherry blossom map, the Great Lawn is currently in bloom! Though it’s typical to see the first cherry blossoms arise in early March, the flowers don’t tend to reach peak bloom until April/May.
The Great Lawn boasts a beautiful bunch of Higan cherry trees in its southwest corner. You can identify these blooms by their “slightly transparent white-to-pink flowers [that] elegantly cascade down the trees’ graceful weeping boughs,” explains Central Park Conservancy. What’s unique about these trees is their ability to bloom twice in one season, between late fall and early spring.
Central Park’s cherry blossom tracker shows that the remainder of the park, such as Cherry Hill, Sheep Meadow and Pilgrim Hill are still in pre-peak. Yet, in a few weeks you’ll get to catch the beautiful cherry blossoms all around the five boroughs from Flushing Meadows Corona Park to Roosevelt Island. We even have a guide that shares the best spots for cherry blossom viewing here!