Conservatory Garden: Signs of Spring

The weather in New York has been all over the place lately—in the 70s one day and snowing the next. Due to the unseasonably warm weather (hello, climate change!), plants began blooming while it was still February. While I know little to nothing about plants, I do know that it's fairly normal to see things like snow drops this time of year, but seeing cherry blossoms beginning to bloom months before their traditional appearance is just strange (or perhaps alarming).

I went to check in on one of my favorite places in Central Park—the Conservatory Garden—recently on my lunch break, and found several signs of an early spring. I first visited the Conservatory Garden in the spring, at a time when I was really solidifying my plans to finally move to New York, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. While it hasn't been a part of my daily commute for over a year, I'm lucky enough to work within walking distance and it's the perfect quiet space to spend my lunch break.

The Conservatory Garden always puts on a spectacular tulip display, some of which are already starting to make their way out of the ground. The colors usually vary from year to year, so the arrangements always feel new. There's a particular cherry blossom tree (I'm pretty sure that's what it is, although if I'm totally plant-clueless, please correct me) by the entrance to the garden that for the four years I've been here has always come to the spring party early, and it's already bursting with blooms. It's cold and windy again now and I want to go cover all of the fragile-looking buds with tiny snuggies, but I think spring will be here in full-force soon enough.