Well, hello there blossom

Okay, here's the math.

The Okanagan has 14,000 acres of orchards.

Each acre has about 2,200 trees, be they apple, cherry, plum, peach or nectarine, for a total of 31 million trees.

Each tree produces about 40 pieces of fruit annually, with each piece of fruit starting with five blossoms.

That's an astounding 440,000 blooms per acre.

So, 440,000 times the 14,000 acres totals an astronomical 6.2 billion blooms.

"That's an interesting calculation," said with a laugh Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit Growers Association.

"The high-density orchards that are becoming the norm make for even more blossoms."

Being prime tree fruit territory, Okanagan spring is always hailed as blossom time, a season for locals and tourists alike to admire acre after acre, row after row of dazzling bursts of soft white and pink.

"Blossoms help make the Okanagan the Okanagan," said Lucas.

"You can admire them just driving by or, as some people do, make a particular trip or day to enjoy them."

Paynter's Fruit Market in West Kelowna, just off Highway 97 at Paynter Road, may not open for the season until next month.

But, it's adjacent orchards are open for people to drop by and revel in the glory of thousands of trees in full bloom.

Bloom times can vary from south to north and by tree fruit variety.

But generally, the bloom starts mid-April and builds through May.

- Apricot trees are the first to burst into blossom in early April in the South Okanagan and mid-April in the Central and North Okanagan to tee up for fruit harvest mid-July to early-August.

- Cherry trees are next with mid-to-late April bloom for late-June to early-August harvest.

- Plum trees tend to blossom mid-April for mid-August to mid-September harvest.

- Mid-to-late April is when peach trees bloom for mid-July to early-August harvest.

- Apples are the biggest tree fruit crop in the Valley, so their prolific blooms late-April to mid-May account for the most spectacular display. Apples are harvested from late August to late October.

- Pear trees bloom mid-April to early-May for mid-August to mid-September picking.