Buds can be seen on fruit trees in Summerland and the rest of the South Okanagan, but the blossom season is still some time away.
Steve Brown, a Summerland orchardist, said the buds on the fruit trees formed last year. They normally start swelling closer to the end of March, with blossoms beginning after that time.
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Brown has been collecting data on fruit trees over the years. The buds tend to be visible in late March, but the leaves and blossoms tend to appear in mid-April.
In 2015, blossoms appeared on some apricot trees in late March, much earlier than normal. When buds appear early, there is a risk that warm weather is then followed by a cold snap, he said.
Summerland has more than 2,000 hectares of land within the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve. The majority of the farmland in the community is used for orchards and vineyards.
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