It begins with a few tiny blossoms budding from the trees; spring is here! Shades of white, cream, and the palest of pinks indicate the age-old process of rebirth and rejuvenation in Southeast New Mexico!

The spring days are warming up and the best way to enjoy the blossoming trees is to get out there and go for a walk, bike ride, or a cruise in the car. Plum trees, cherry trees, crab apple trees, peach trees, and apple trees near full bloom this week and are best enjoyed along Eagle Draw, Grand Avenue, Hermosa Street, and Downtown Mainstreet.

Many of the trees in bloom are not necessarily native to New Mexico, but are common around the United States. Blossoming trees do well in a variety of climates ranging from climate numbers 4-10. Here in SENM, the climate zone is 7a.

Our warm climate does have a native flowering tree: the desert willow. The desert willow is not a true willow variety, so the name is misleading. Desert willows bloom around midsummer and into the fall, so the native flowering tree won’t be part of the spring show currently in progress, but will have a long event of its own in a few months time.

Additionally, there are two more blossoming types of trees along the Navajo Nature Trail, which begins just South of the Artesia Aquatic Center; crape myrtles and several varieties of smoke trees come into their own in late spring and early summer. Deep maroon, mauve, and lavender purples make the trail another visual delight to look forward to viewing.