Blossom time

[Dodgergirl]

Nothing says spring quite like the panorama of showy blossoms that burst forth in orchards throughout the central San Joaquin Valley.

Each year, more than 20,000 people celebrate this annual awakening by visiting the Fresno County Blossom Trail, a 62-mile, self-guided motor or bicycle tour featuring stone-fruit orchards, citrus groves and vineyards.

While some growers place signs along the road telling what you're seeing, many do not -- leaving visitors to guess what they're gazing at. The guide below showcases some of the most common blossoms found in our area. As you drive along the trail, we hope it'll help you figure out what's growing where.

For Full Article & Map Of Trail...

http://www.fresnobee.com/221/story/454507.html

[Dodgergirl]

Make a day of it, Blossom Trail fans say

The 62-mile Fresno County Blossom Trail's official starting point is Simonian Farms at Clovis and Jensen avenues. This farm stand opened in 1901 and is the oldest in the county. Trail maps and brochures are available there.

Stacey Grote, operations manager for Simonian Farms, recommends making the Blossom Trail a leisurely trip by stopping at places along the way, such as Reedley's Mennonite Quilt Center, the Sanger Depot Museum and Kingsburg's Swedish shops.

"A lot of people in our area have never ventured into the towns along the trail. They don't know what they're missing," she says. "If you want to take in what the countryside has to offer, take a day because you'll discover things you didn't know."

March typically is the best time to visit the trail, says Kristi Johnson, Fresno County tourism manager. Blossoms sometimes even linger into April.

Fresno County Master Gardener Lee Fanucchi took a trip along the trail in the late 1990s. "It is magnificent, just spectacular," says Fanucchi, who has a variety of fruit and nut trees as well as olives, berries and grapes at his Fresno home.

For more info on the trail, call (559) 262-4271 or go to www.gofresnocounty.com.

http://www.fresnobee.com/221/story/454595.html

[Ironhorse]

Nothing much in the way of wild flowers above 22 Mile House, but further down in the valley, it's GORGEOUS! I really enjoyed my drive home Saturday and back down yesterday, especially the one area on 41 where the entire pasture is yellow wildflowers, like a carpet. Just beautiful. And out by the Bella Fruta packing plant in Clovis, all those beautiful fruit trees are blossoming, from white to pale pink to dark pink.

[BGW]

We took the scenic route through Hornitos and La Grange over to Jamestown yesterday and had expected to see the wildflowers busting out everywhere....boy were we wrong!! just a smattering of mustard and not much more

[only1alphafemale]

Thanks for the info BGW, guess I will wait for a week or two longer before I go looking at wildflowers along the blossom trail ~ :)