What kind of flowers make Beijingers go to see them despite strong winds and sandstorms?

The weather has warmed up recently, and everyone is going out to enjoy the spring. Even if they have a mouthful of dirt or their face is covered with sand, it can't stop people from enjoying the flowers and spring.

Photo | @Beijing Local Guide

It is said that the strong winds in Beijing will educate everyone who goes out to enjoy the flowers. The wind in Beijing sweeps up the dirt, which is the smell of spring in Beijing. So what kind of flowers can make people go out despite the strong wind?

The flower you see is the one in the picture. Can you guess what it is? | Tuchong Creative

What kind of flowers are you admiring?

The picture above is actually a well-known check-in spot in Beijing - Shilibao. Every year, people come to the crowded Shilibao to enjoy the mountain peach blossoms .

Photo | @China Entertainment Network

The mountain peach is one of the first trees to bloom in Beijing and the surrounding mountains. Every early spring, it welcomes the arrival of spring together with the mountain apricot. The mountain peach is distributed in the mountains, forests and bushes in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan.

Peach blossoms on Shilibao Mountain | Tuchong Creative

The mountain peach has typical flowers of the Rosaceae subfamily, Prunus , with 5 petals, 5 sepals, many stamens and a lonely stigma.

Mountain peach blossom | Tuchong Creative

The mountain peach has another major identifying feature - its trunk. The brown-red trunk is as shiny as if it were painted with varnish, which is particularly outstanding among all the rose fruit trees.

The brown-red trunk of the mountain peach | qscaping

The mountain peach is not very related to the peaches we eat . At first glance, it looks a bit like unripe green peaches, but in fact it is just sour peach flesh mixed with some peach flavor.

Peach fruit | qscaping

Although the mountain peach does not produce sweet fruits, its flowers are still popular and have now appeared in urban green belts and parks on a large scale. In addition, the seeds of the mountain peach can be made into beads and various handicrafts. Many of the beads in the hands of the locals are made of mountain peach kernels. It can be regarded as making the best use of the material.

Where else can I enjoy flowers in Beijing?

Besides Shilibao, a popular check-in spot for internet celebrities, where else can you enjoy flowers in Beijing?

Yuyuantan Park - Cherry Blossom Viewing

If you ask a Beijing native, he will probably tell you first: Yuyuantan Park .

There are dozens of cherry blossom varieties planted in Yuyuantan Park. According to different flowering periods, the numerous cherry blossom varieties can be divided into three categories: early, mid and late.

Cherry Blossom Viewing at Yuyuantan Lake｜TuChong Creative

Taking the most representative Somei Yoshino as a reference, the ones with similar flowering period are mid-season cherry blossoms, those earlier than it are early cherry blossoms, and those later than it are late cherry blossoms. The early cherry blossoms in Yuyuantan Park usually bloom in mid-to-late March , the mid-season cherry blossoms in early April, and the late cherry blossoms in mid-to-late April. However, if you want to go to Yuyuantan Park to enjoy the cherry blossoms, it is best to go on weekdays. If you catch a holiday, you may have to wait in line for a long time to enter the park.

Ming City Wall Ruins Park - Watching Plum Blossoms

The Ming City Wall Ruins Park was originally a section of the city wall ruins of Beijing's inner city during the Ming Dynasty. It was completed in 2002 and converted into an urban park. Many varieties of plum blossoms are planted in the park. The flowering period of plum blossoms in Beijing is later than in the south, and they only begin to bloom in mid-to-late March . Generally, you can still see a lot of plum blossoms in early April.

Plum blossoms in the Ming City Wall Ruins Park | Fang Fei/CCTV News

Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall Ruins Park - Viewing Begonias

The Yuan Dynasty Capital City Wall Ruins Park is located in the northern part of Beijing, between the third and fourth ring roads. Beijingers commonly call it "Tucheng". There are large areas of crabapples planted here, and it has been given an artistic name called " Begonia Flower Creek ".

Every April is the peak blooming period for crabapples, which is even more spectacular than the peak bloom period for cherry blossoms in Yuyuantan.

Haitang Shengshi Tower in Yuan Dadu City Wall Ruins Park｜TuChong Creative

National Botanical Gardens - Peach Blossom Viewing

The North Area of ​​the National Botanical Garden, formerly the Beijing Botanical Garden, holds a peach blossom festival every spring. There are more than 70 varieties of peach blossoms here, making it the most ornamental peach variety exhibition area in the world. In addition, spring is the flowering season for many plants. In addition to peach blossoms, there are countless flowers to be seen in the botanical garden.

Of course, if you don’t care about the variety and just want to see a large area of ​​peach blossom forest, then the best choice is Pinggu , where you can see peach blossoms in spring and delicious big peaches in summer.

National Botanical Garden｜TuChong Creative

Temple of Heaven Park - See apricot blossoms and radix strychnifoliae

In the Temple of Heaven Park, in addition to iconic buildings such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Echo Wall, there is also a large green area, which was once one of the few habitats for long-eared owls in the city.

Every spring, the apricot blossoms and blueberries (February blueberries) of the Temple of Heaven bloom one after another, especially blueberries, which can form a spectacular sea of ​​flowers on the lawn. However, there are many pine and cypress trees in the park, which will spread a lot of pollen in spring. People who are allergic to pollen should stay away from them.

Apricot blossoms are in full bloom at the Temple of Heaven Park | Tuchong Creative

Fayuan Temple - See the lilac and Xanthoceras sorbifolia trees

In addition to the famous flower scenes mentioned above, Beijing also has many slightly less popular flower viewing spots. For example, Fayuan Temple, where the best blooming flowers are lilacs, both the original purple lilac and the variant white lilac. When they bloom in April, they are known as the " Sea of ​​Fragrant Snow ".

In addition, there are Xanthoceras sorbifolia trees in Fayuan Temple, which bloom slightly later than lilac.

Lilac in Fayuan Temple｜TuChong Creative

Xiangshan Park - See the small medicinal plant Badanzi

Xiangshan Park is famous for its red leaves in autumn, but it also has flowers to see in spring, but you have to lower your head to find them. In the forests between the mountains, you can often see patches of small medicinal plants , forming a pure blue sea of ​​flowers.

Small medicine Badanzi｜TuChong Creative

Where to enjoy flowers in other cities?

Every city has its own unique spring scenery. We invited authors living in different cities to share the local spring flowers that are worth seeing.

Come on, go out and jump into the spring together!

Shanghai

The cherry blossoms in Chenshan Botanical Garden are worth seeing. In April, the late cherry blossoms such as "Puxianxiang", "Songyuezakura" and "Yujin" are in full bloom. In addition, you can also go to Shanghai Botanical Garden to see azaleas , and the wisteria flowers in Jiading Wisteria Garden are also magnificent.

Guangzhou

The tung trees and Schima superba in Huolushan Forest Park have just entered their flowering period. In the South China Botanical Garden, you can see the elegant and unique Pueraria lobata and the purple ore with full flowers. Even on the city lawns, you can see the tiny Cordon Bleu and Cymbidium.

Hangzhou

If you have seen the ancient catalpa trees that are like clouds and fog in the Dongyue Temple in Wushan, admired the gorgeous peonies in front of the Liuhe Pagoda, and smelled the fragrance of the white wood in the streets of Xinyifang, you will have collected the entire spring!

Chengdu

The wisteria in the first lane south of Fuqin Street cascades down from the sixth floor, the osmanthus flowers are crawling all over the streets and alleys, the yellow bell trees in Huaxiba are full of golden color, and the tassel trees in Daci Temple sway in the wind.

Kunming

Kunming will soon be filled with a sea of ​​jacaranda flowers , the sea lettuce at Yunnan Fengzeyuan Botanical Garden is blooming all over the water, and the orchid exhibition at Kunming Botanical Garden has more than 600 species of orchids blooming in the clouds.

Xi'an

The streets are full of Paulownia flowers, Xi'an Botanical Garden and Xingqing Palace Park have large areas of tulips , and you need to look down and pay attention to avoid missing the Arabian Veronica in Xi'an Botanical Garden.

Well, after seeing so many spring flowers and flower-viewing routes, it’s time to go out for a walk!

Everyone is welcome to share with us stories about spring , perhaps the sea of ​​flowers blooming in spring, tender green buds, or wonderful encounters with small animals, wonderful insects... In short, share your spring!

Authors: Desert Porcupine, Old Cat, Andy, Jiangnan Dieyi, Miaomiao Plant Control, Zhou Fang, Don't Know Plants, Shi Jun

Editors: Xiao Towel, Mai Mai, Jiang A Beau

Graphics: Jia Jia

Cover image source: Tuchong Creative

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)