A Herald of Spring on Central Avenue

Who needs a groundhog?

A sure sign of spring in El Cerrito is the return of plum blossoms. This tree on Central Avenue is chock full, as are many on Richmond Street and others in the area.

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly referred to the tree as a cherry, an easy mistake to make. When reader comments questioned the identification, we turned to Tony Wolcott, the urban forestor for Albany, who kindly identified the tree as a flowering plum, specifically Prunus cersasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius.’ Although Prunus cersasifera are sometimes referred to as "cherry plums," they are definitely plum trees, not cherry, he said. Cherry trees in this area are not yet in bloom, he said.