March 24: Spring in Northern New Mexico
not what you might expect...
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People are often surprised to discover that spring in Northern New Mexico is absolutely fabulous. If you come here expecting to wear shorts year-round and not see any change of seasons, you’re in for a treat. (And put on some warm clothes!)
Much of the area from Santa Fe north is anywhere between 5,000 to 7,500 feet above sea level (and much higher when you go up into the mountains), so this is the high desert. We get all four seasons here, and though we always have to be conscious of water, there are many precious waterways, aquifers, and acequias to nourish the plant life.
As a result, there is an abundance of fruit trees in many areas of Northern New Mexico. Apricots are always the first to blossom, but there are many other fruit trees around here: plum, apple, peach, pear, cherry. The last freeze of the season can still happen up until May 15, so the rest of the trees are being much more cautious than those daredevil apricots. But come mid-May there will be glorious blossoms everywhere, and along with the fruit trees there will be lilacs, forsythia, and so much more.
Photos below, three from previous years in the Santa Fe area, and the one in the bottom right corner from my very own backyard, taken this week. This apricot tree is making it very clear spring has arrived!
Wish you were here!
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Daredevil apricots, I like that! I remember well the apricot trees alongside the roads in Arroyo Seco, where I was staying in a cabin for a few months. I gathered a few dozen fallen fruits, put them in the oven at 100 degrees for a while, and enjoyed dried apricots for the rest of the summer!
It made me so happy to see all the blooming!