Perhaps enticed by the "autumn-like" weather, a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree in a park in Kayogaoka 1-chome, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, has begun to bloom out of season. About 20 small, pink blossoms sway in the autumn breeze, delighting those who see them.
This phenomenon, in which plants such as cherry or plum trees bloom outside their usual season, is known as "unseasonal blooming" (*kaerizaki*). According to the Kyoto Botanical Garden, after cherry trees finish their regular flowering period, they develop flower buds for the following year throughout the summer. The presence of leaves typically triggers the release of a hormone that suppresses flowering; however, if the leaves fall off prematurely—for instance, due to strong winds—the tree may bloom during warm days in the autumn.
In the case of this particular Somei-Yoshino tree, a massive infestation of caterpillars earlier this autumn stripped away nearly all its leaves. Local residents who have observed the tree for many years say this is the first time they have seen it bloom out of season.
Nagaokakyo City has experienced a stretch of unseasonably warm, summer-like days, with the temperature reaching a high of 30.4°C on October 21. A nearby resident gazed at the blossoms and remarked, "I wonder if the tree just got the season wrong."
