From soft peach tones to vivid pinks and deep purples, spring has arrived, painting much of the Northern Hemisphere in color.
As daily life in some regions remains far from calm, the changing season offers a reminder of quieter, brighter moments elsewhere. Across the globe, blooming trees are transforming cities and landscapes, drawing visitors to parks, streets and open spaces.
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Cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin at the National Mall in Washington
(Photo:AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
Mississippi National Guard troops patrol among cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin at the National Mall in Washington
(Photo: AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
In Washington and Tokyo, parks and avenues are filled with waves of cherry blossoms. Along the Tidal Basin near the National Mall, crowds gather beneath the pale pink canopy, while in Japan, visitors stroll and boat beneath trees in full bloom near historic landmarks and palace gardens.
(Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Washington
(Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(Photo: AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
(Photo: AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
(Photo: AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
In Greece, peach orchards stretch across the countryside like vast pink carpets, covering hillsides in northern regions. The seasonal bloom has become a draw for visitors, with events encouraging the public to experience the spectacle up close.
(Photo: AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Cherry Blossom Kite Festival at the National Mall in Washington
(Photo: AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Cherry blossoms in Kyoto
(Photo: REUTERS/Manami Yamada)
(Photo: REUTERS/Manami Yamada)
People boat beneath cherry blossoms at peak bloom in the Chidorigafuchi moat in Tokyo
(Photo: AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
London’s parks are also at their peak, with magnolias, daffodils and wildflowers in full bloom. Bees gather pollen in Hyde Park, while parakeets perch among flowering trees in St. James’s Park, adding movement and sound to the spring landscape.
Visitors enjoy Amagi Yoshino cherry blossoms at peak bloom in the Imperial Palace garden in Tokyo
(Photo: AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Visitors take photos along a path lined with blooming peach trees at the Summer Palace in Beijing, enjoying the mild weather and seasonal flowers
(Photo: AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Blooming peach trees seen from above near the city of Veria in northern Greece
(Photo: AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
People enjoying the sun are reflected in a mirror among blooming peach trees during an event encouraging the public to view the blossoms near the city of Veria in northern Greece
(Photo: AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
Further afield, Beijing’s gardens are filled with peach blossoms, as visitors photograph the seasonal display against historic backdrops. In Mexico City, jacaranda trees line major avenues, casting a distinctive purple hue over the capital.
Mantalena Kalianou enjoys a walk among blooming peach trees during an event encouraging the public to view the blossoms near the city of Veria in northern Greece
(AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
A canopy of purple jacaranda blossoms stretches over Paseo de la Reforma near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A canopy of purple jacaranda blossoms stretches over Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City
(Photo: AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
In California, a particularly wet winter has brought a burst of wildflowers, turning typically arid landscapes into fields of orange and gold as poppies and other species bloom across reserves and valleys.
Across continents, the arrival of spring once again transforms familiar places, offering a brief but vivid display of color that draws people outdoors and, for a moment, shifts the focus away from the tensions of everyday life.
A woman stands beneath a blooming magnolia tree on a sunny spring day in a park in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
(Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A bumblebee collects pollen from an anemone flower (Anemone coronaria) in Hyde Park in London
(Photo: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Daffodils bloom in the spring sunshine at Kew Gardens in London
(Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville)
A ring-necked parakeet feeds on blossoms in St. James’s Park in London
(Photo: AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
California poppies at peak bloom in Antelope Valley Reserve in California
(Photo: REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee)
Wildflowers bloom in Carrizo Plain in California after a particularly colorful spring, as winter rains helped dormant seeds sprout and transform arid landscapes into carpets of flowers
(Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(Photo:Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)