A pink and white blooming beckons for Long Island cherry blossom trees

Few species of plant generate awe like the cherry blossom. Every spring, after the dank of winter, the blooming trees turn parts of Long Island into seas of pink and white foliage.

Long Islanders will be able to spot the flowered trees in several areas across the region starting in April.

The trees will play a starring role in Greenport, where there are more than 300 in the village, said Deborah Pittorino, founder of the nonprofit AgroCouncil's annual Cherry Blossom Petal Tour. The self-guided tour, which kicks off April 26, is a boon to the village's local businesses, Pittorino said.

Blossom-themed beverages and gifts from participating businesses will be available, Pittorino said.

"We really did it to get people out of the house after a long winter," she said. "It gets people out and about spending money at local businesses before our high season, and we really need that. It's also a celebration of nature and the oncoming spring."

AgroCouncil will also hold a Run for the Petals 5K run/walk April 26 at 9 a.m. 

The village first began planting cherry trees in the 1980s, Newsday has reported, and formed its tree committee in 1991. The village has been designated a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. 

Cherry blossoms came to the United States from Japan in 1906, according to the National Park Service's website.

The Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay is home to about 80 to100 cherry blossom trees, said Vincent Simeone, the arboretum's director of planning. Simeone said the trees have been planted over the past half-century and are mostly sourced from local nurseries. 

About a dozen trees have already started to bloom, Simeone said. 

"Spring is the most popular time to come to the arboretum," Simeone said. "We have a lot of different trees, we have magnolias, and we have cherrys, but cherrys are certainly something people come to see. When the cherry blossoms are out, they're a very popular attraction."

Old Westbury Gardens, a longtime destination for viewing cherry blossoms, opens to the public for the season at 10 a.m. on April 2.

Cherry blossoms are already in bloom at several New York City locations. A handful of trees are in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, according to its online tracker. And in Central Park, several trees along the west side of the Reservoir are in bloom, according to the Central Park Conservancy’s tracker.

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.