Dave HuggardSpring in Vancouver means cherry blossoms, and magnolia blossoms, and forsythia blossoms (aa-choo!) North Vancouver’s Green Necklace becomes a pink and yellow necklace. Like a good biologist, I mapped the blossoms all around the route. And did some statistics – there are 69 notable tree, shrubs, or patches of these species along the 7.5km trail, an average of 1 every 109m. It’s pretty dazzling at this time of year. Click on the images on the map for a few highlights.
Blooms Grand Blvd and 11th
Cherry and magnolia Grand Blvd and 11th
Blooms Jones and 17th
Row of cherry trees at soccer fields
Blooms Jones and 14th
Forsythia at Jones and 14th - and Development Application sign...
Blooms Queen Mary school
Cherry tree at Queen Mary school
Blooms Keith Rd and St Andrew's
Wide cherry tree at Keith Rd and St Andrew's
But … mono no aware: the Japanese concept of the sadness of things, the transience of beauty. White petals are already fluttering down past my window. But in North Vancouver, it’s worse than that, a lot worse. Real estate development is the economy here. If you find something beautiful today, it will be a construction site behind fences with corporate logos tomorrow. Last year’s blossom highlight along 23rd avenue is now…nothing, really. It’s a future community centre / condominium complex. Maybe they will plant new cherry trees, and maybe they will be beautiful again in 50 years.