Winter flowers at sightseeing destinations such as Wuling Farm in Taichung and Alishan (阿里山) in Chiayi County have begun blooming earlier than usual, as botany enthusiasts are planning their trips to the sites’ upcoming flower festivals.
The Chiayi Forest District Office said that despite the Alishan Flower Festival being held from March 10 to April 10, the flora on the mountain has already begun to blossom, giving people the opportunity to visit before large crowds are expected.
Office deputy head Lee Ting-chung (李定忠) yesterday said that five kinds of cherry are already in bloom on the mountain, with two more types blooming along the roads to Alishan.
Photo courtesy of the Chiayi Forest District Office via CNA
Camellias, daisies, malacoideses, hydrangeas and magnolias are also in bloom on the mountain, he added.
Meanwhile, the earlier-than-expected flowering of cherries at Wuling Farm has caused unexpected traffic congestion on the roads to the tourist hot spot.
About 70 percent of the Wuling’s cherry trees have blossomed, farm deputy director Hu Fa-tao (胡發韜) said.
Large numbers of tourist have begun visiting the farm ahead of its cherry blossom festival, which is to run from tomorrow to Feb. 28, and traffic jams on access roads have been up to 5km in the past few days, Hu said.
Wuling has implemented measures to control traffic density for farm-bound vehicles and pedestrians on the farm, Hu said, adding that the measures add 10 to 30 seconds to the waiting time for vehicles entering the premises. The farm’s about 21,000 cherry trees would be in full bloom from Tuesday to Friday, but remain in bloom until the end of the month, he said.
During the festival, the number of visitors would be limited to 6,000 per day, he added.
People planning to travel to Wuling in private vehicles would have to make a reservation, Hu said, adding that public transportation to the farm is also available.
Hu said that this year’s earlier-than-expected flowering was due to above-average temperatures and precipitation during the winter, which might become common in the coming years due to climate change.
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