British blossom: the ultimate guide

Spring is a spectacular time as trees burst into a glorious mass of delicate whites and pastels. In celebration of the season, here's our guide to British blossom

A male blackcap perching among blossoming blackthorn is a quintessential sign that spring has arrived.

Credit: Andy Rouse / Naturepl.com

Non native trees like this ornamental cherry plum (or myrobalan) often line suburban streets and give the most spectacular displays of pink blossom in very early spring.

Credit: Ernie Jones / naturepl.com

Blackthorn blossom is among the earliest to appear in late winter.

Credit: Simon Colmer / naturepl.com

Apple blossom appears from late spring. Its sweet fragrance attracts insects and other wildlife.

Credit: Andy Sands / naturepl.com

Hawthorn shield bug feeds on sap from a blossoming May (hawthorn) tree.

Credit: Alex Hyde / naturepl.com

Blackthorn often flowers when we get spells of wintry, cold weather and has given rise to the phrase 'blackthorn winter'.

Credit: David Tipling / naturepl.com

Why do trees have blossom?

Fruiting trees rely on insects for pollination, so their flowers tend to be showy, colourful and sweet-smelling to signal that nectar is available. In contrast, wind-pollinated trees tend to have drooping or hanging clusters of flowers that are inconspicuous and green or brown in colour.

What is blossom?

Many trees flower in spring, but what makes it blossom?

Botanically speaking, blossom refers to the flowers of stone fruit trees in the family Rosaceae such as plums, cherries, apples and hawthorns. They usually flower abundantly over a relatively short period in spring and range in pastel colours from creamy whites to deeper pinks.

When to see blossom in the UK

Orchards, parks, gardens, woodlands and along streets and hedgerows are all good places to spot blossom.

Here at the Woodland Trust, we look after more than a thousand woods across the UK that are free for you to explore. Find a wood near you and enjoy a spring walk.

UK spring blossom calendar

Month	Species	Blossom colour
February	blackthorn	white
	cherry plum	white
March	blackthorn	white
	cherry plum	white
	pear	white
	plum	white
April	plum	white
	crab apple	white or pink
	bird cherry	white
	wild cherry	white
	hawthorn	white or pink
	Midland hawthorn	white or pink
	Plymouth pear	cream or pink
May	crab apple	white or pink
	hawthorn	white or pink
	Midland hawthorn	white or pink
	Plymouth pear	cream or pink
	Plymouth pear	cream or pink
	sour cherry	white
	rowan	creamy white
	domestic apple	white or pink
June	rowan	creamy white
	domestic apple	white or pink

This table gives a rough guide only. Flowering times depend on where you are in the UK - the further north often the later the date.

Month	February		March				April							May								June
Species	blackthorn	cherry plum	blackthorn	cherry plum	pear	plum	plum	crab apple	bird cherry	wild cherry	hawthorn	Midland hawthorn	Plymouth pear	crab apple	hawthorn	Midland hawthorn	Plymouth pear	Plymouth pear	sour cherry	rowan	domestic apple	rowan	domestic apple
Blossom colour	white	white	white	white	white	white	white	white or pink	white	white	white or pink	white or pink	cream or pink	white or pink	white or pink	white or pink	cream or pink	cream or pink	white	creamy white	white or pink	creamy white	white or pink

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This table gives a rough guide only. Flowering times depend on where you are in the UK - the further north often the later the date.

Flowering times

Climate change is causing UK plants to flower almost a month earlier on average, according to a study using our Nature's Calendar observations.

Is spring arriving earlier?

Although we love the arrival of spring, year-on-year early springs can have catastrophic consequences for wildlife. If flowers like blossom appear earlier, it leads to an ecological mismatch where hungry chicks hatch too late to feast on abundant insects that feed on the flowers.

The earlier that spring arrives, the harder it is for birds to adjust the timing of their breeding to match the peak in insects.

You can let is know what's happening to wildlife in your area. Anyone in the UK can submit a record to Nature’s Calendar and it helps scientists to understand how climate change is affecting ecosystems across the UK.