100 Species Challenge (#1) Yoshino Cherry Tree
2009 April 9
This beautiful symbol of spring lives in our front yard. The Yoshino Cherry tree is a native of Japan that was introduced to America in 1902.
Fauna refers to it as the “Humming Tree” because every year at this time it is covered with honeybees.
Obviously it is an important source of food for the honeybees, but it is also a source of food for many small birds and mammals including robins, cardinals and waxwings.
According to legend, the goddess of spring, Konohana-sakuyahime, hovers low in the sky, wakening the sleeping cherry trees to life with her delicate breath. Consequently, people have gathered under blossoming cherry trees throughout the ages, to offer prayers to Konohana-sakuyahime for a bountiful harvest. Here is my little spring goddess wakening our cherry tree.
According to legend, the goddess of spring, Konohana-sakuyahime, hovers low in the sky, wakening the sleeping cherry trees to life with her delicate breath. Consequently, people have gathered under blossoming cherry trees throughout the ages, to offer prayers to Konohana-sakuyahime for a bountiful harvest. Here is my little spring goddess wakening our cherry tree.
cherry blossom shade-
a fox spirit
has enchanted me!
By Japanese Haiku Poet Issa
22 Responses
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we’ve been celebrating all of the bees in our trees too, we also have cherry trees and their definitley humming! I love legends, that’s a cool one, here’s to our little spring goddesses!!
What a lovely post! I have told you how cute your girls are, right? I love the 100 species idea! Another project to get underway!!! Goose is loving yours and Fauna’s blogs! She shows them both to all her friends! Have a great weekend!
How fun to find your blog after you left a comment on mine! I wish our hives had your tree within their five mile radius. Lovely to meet you and I will check back in soon….
That’s a beautiful tree. I love the climbing picture!
I hadn’t before heard the history behind the cherry tree and the legend; thank you for sharing that. Such a gorgeous tree.
Beautiful…the tree, the blooms, the haiku, the monkey girl hanging from the tree limbs…
Cherry blossom trees are one of my many favourites. It has always been a dream of mine to travel to China on a botanical type trail to view their flowering trees like the cherry blossom. I might have to add Japan to that trail aswell. I prefer white of all the blossoms and only wish I could do skillful drawings of them. Hope you are having a nice Easter. I was in Ohio at Easter time. Seems so long ago now. Do you hang seasonal things on your doors and gates? I loved that. Cheers:)
We have the same tree in our front yard
Great pics!
You know, what I hate? When I leave a perfectly good comment, and then it disappears, because the page actually hadn’t loaded yet, when I wrote my comment. Ugh!
Well, I love cherry blossoms. And now I’m too lazy to write more.
Oh how beautiful!
I’m very envious of that wonderful tree – I don’t have any flowering trees right now! We have so many trees that I’d have to cut one down to make room to plant one, and that doesn’t seem fair! I’ll have to admire yours instead!
We enjoyed some blossoming trees on our park walk today, too. Yea for Spring!
I’m not always great at commenting but just wanted to let you I’ve started reading your blog faithfully. I thoroughly enjoy reading about the adventures of your family!
Thanks for the 100 Species reminder. Still a few months until Seattle for us, but will be keeping it in mind for the plants we move with us. Gorgeous tree, lovely symbols and cute little Springling
Hey!!!
I went outside a few minutes ago, and I was like, “What in the world???” and our Pluot tree was Alive with Bees!
Dozens of them!
It was vibrating and bzzzing, and so Alive!
I am coming back to post an addition to today’s post.
Hooray for Spring.
So beautiful and thanks for the history behind the tree.
You guys are ahead of us on Spring!
I can hardly wait, even though I don’t have a lovely tree like this.
So beautiful!
Lovely tree … I adore her pretty blossoms as well as all of the friendly honeybees she attracts.
beautiful. Your girls are so lucky to have such pretty tree. I love the pic of Fauna.
I’m not sure about the bees….but we get a lot of wasp here…they got nests everywhere even in my mail box. Aggh!!!
are honey bees better?
My favorite tree! Spring has really sprung at your house.
Oh, what a beautiful tree!
So lovely for your girls to grow up with, and wonderful that you know so much about it.
I also like,”Loveliest of trees, the cherry now” by Gerard Manely Hopkins
Those delicate pink and white blossoms get me every time… just love em’.
Good to know a bit of the history behind this species as well