ature lovers are being urged to enjoy the fleeting seasonal spectacle of spring blossom to help boost their wellbeing.
Saturday marks the National Trust’s #BlossomWatch Day – now in its second year – which involves the widespread sharing of images of spring blossom across social media, and aims to help people in the UK appreciate the unique beauty of this stage of the calendar year.
Some of the images, recorded by people from locations such as their own gardens, public parks and the countryside, will also feature in #BlossomWatch adverts in 17 UK cities including London, Cardiff and Belfast with special personal dedications.
One of the images chosen for adverts in Nottingham, taken by Franz Zubieta Mariscal at the University of Nottingham campus, is dedicated to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
He said: “For me, blossom represents the main virtue of mankind: resilience.
“There is always a point at which cold becomes light and darkness turns into colour.”
The National Trust said it hopes for a warm and blooming spring after a sharp dip in temperatures at the end of March meant some delicate blossoms such as magnolia were unable to reach their full glory.
Andy Jasper, head of gardens and parkland at the National Trust, said it was a particularly good year for Britons to enjoy blossoms in their gardens.
“Despite some sharp frosts in late March which affected some magnolia in some parts of the country, we will hopefully see a longer season with much more blossom to enjoy this year,” he said.
For Sarah Lawrenson, 47, whose blossom image will appear in adverts in Manchester, her inspiration was drawn from her newfound appreciation of wildflowers during the first Covid lockdown in 2020.
“I was furloughed from my job and future seemed so uncertain that I found great comfort in seeing the seasons pass through my love of both nature and photography,” Ms Lawrenson said.
“My parents were shielding and I loved the idea of bringing nature back to those stuck inside.
“Blossom itself brings so much promise of warmer, brighter times to come, so #BlossomWatch was a fantastic opportunity to help people to enjoy this wonderful time and share the joy and positivity.”
This year’s #BlossomWatch campaign has already seen more than 53,000 images shared across social media, with the National Trust’s own social media channels receiving more than 5.5 million views.
To get involved with #BlossomWatch Day, share an image of a blossom in bloom using #BlossomWatch.
Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blossom-watch for more information.