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Spring is on the way

ALAN TAYLOR

1. Visitors flock onto a street, under blooming cherry blossoms, near Jiming Temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China March 23, 2019. Picture taken March 23, 2019. Reuters/Stringer

As the Northern Hemisphere begins to warm once more and the spring equinox has passed, flowers and trees finally appear to be in bloom—especially in California, blessed by a very wet winter. Gathered here today is a small collection of images from the past few weeks from North America, Asia, and Europe, of poppies, sunshine, and cherry blossoms—surely signs of warmer days to come.

2. A day-old lamb exploring new surroundings on the vernal equinox, considered the first day of spring, on March 20, 2019 at Coombes Farm in Lancing, England. (Photo by Andrew Hasson/Getty Images)

Illuminated cherry-blossom trees are seen along the Meguro River in Tokyo, Japan, on March 28, 2019. The blossom is deeply symbolic in Japan; it only lasts for about one week and marks the beginning of spring. It is claimed that the short-lived existence of the blossom taps into a long-held appreciation of the beauty of the fleeting nature of life, as echoed across the nation’s cultural heritage.

3. A woman practices yoga in the sun in St James’s Park in London, Britain, February 25, 2019. Reuters/Toby Melville

4. A series of winter rain storms have helped turn the hillsides and pastures green as viewed on March 12, 2019, near Santa Ynez, California. Because of its proximity to Southern California and Los Angeles population centers, combined with a Mediterranean climate, the coastal regions of Santa Barbara have become a popular weekend wine getaway destination for millions of tourists each year. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

5. A cat smells at a flower in the warm spring sun in a garden in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Friday, March 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

6. A couple enjoys the warm sunny weather near a blooming Japanese cherry blossom (sakura) tree at the Stadtpark in Vienna on March 22, 2019. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR /AFP)

7. A high-speed bullet train passes through peach blossoms near Juyonguan of the Great Wall in Changping district, Beijing, China March 18. 2019. Picture taken March 18, 2019. Ding Bangxue/Qianlong.com via Reuters

8. Flocks of pelicans fly during their migration over mountains overlooking the city of Batroun, north of the Lebanese capital Beirut on March 27, 2019. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) /Getty Images)

9. Balloons fly over the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on the Spring equinox at sunrise, Thursday, March 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

10. Cherry blossom trees bloom at the Jiming Temple on March 22, 2019 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by Yang Suping/VCG via Getty Images)

11. Women hold their hands towards the sun to welcome the spring equinox as they stand on the Pyramid of the Sun in the pre-hispanic city of Teotihuacan on the outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

12. Giant Tecolote ranunculus flowers begin to bloom at the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch in Carlsbad, California, U.S., March 21, 2019. Reuters/Mike Blake

13. Illuminated Cherry blossom trees are seen at the Meguro River on March 28, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. The blossom is deeply symbolic in Japan, it only lasts for around one week and marks the beginning of spring. It is claimed that the short-lived existence of the blossom taps into a long-held appreciation of the beauty of the fleeting nature of life, as echoed across the nation’s cultural heritage. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)

14. People pose for a picture among wildflowers in bloom Monday, March 18, 2019, in Lake Elsinore, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

About 150,000 people flocked over the weekend to see this year’s rain-fed flaming orange patches of poppies lighting up the hillsides near Lake Elsinore, a city of about 60,000 residents. The crowds became so bad Sunday that Lake Elsinore officials closed access to poppy-blanketed Walker Canyon. By Monday the #poppyshutdown announced by the city on Twitter was over and the road to the canyon was re-opened.

15. Two girls wear flower crowns among peach-blossom trees in the Longquan Mountains in Sichuan province, China, on March 20, 2019. #–LP2 Studio-Shutterstock

16. Visitors walk through the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California, US, March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

17. A women poses for a selfie in the middle of the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, nearly 50 acres of blooming giant Tecolote ranunculus flowers in Carlsbad, California, U.S., March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake