Almond trees are blooming in Stanislaus County. Here are the best viewing spots, tips
Stanislaus County’s finest floral display, the almond bloom, has brightened the winter landscape once again.
The flowers last from mid-February to mid-March on about 210,000 acres of orchards. Each must be pollinated by a bee to develop into a nut harvested in late summer or early fall.
The Modesto Bee offers tips for viewing the bloom here and elsewhere in the Central Valley, along with some kernels of knowledge:
- The closest almond blossoms for many residents are right along Highway 99 and other flat routes. For higher vantage points, drive into the lower Sierra Nevada foothills. Keyes Road out toward Snelling is especially dense in flowers.
- Do not trespass onto an orchard for a closer look. There are irrigation lines, rented bee colonies and other hazards. Shooting a selfie from a public road is fine. So is visiting farms that are open to the public.
- Drive the Almond Blossom Cruise route, based on the car culture captured by Modesto native George Lucas in “American Graffiti.” You can stop along the way at attractions such as the Rodin Farms produce stand on Claribel Road and Roberts Ferry Gourmet on Highway 132. Details are at www.visitmodesto.com.
- The almonds are pollinated by commercial bee colonies trucked in from numerous states. It is the largest such event each year, drawing about two-thirds of the 2.5 million white boxes.
- Beekeepers have contended in recent years with colony collapse disorder, where losses over the winter exceed the natural rate. The causes could include viruses, travel stress and a lack of diverse flowers in some places.
- Some almond growers have helped out by sowing other sources of pollen and nectar in the orchards. Yellow mustard and purple clover are among the flowers blooming amid the pinkish-white almonds.
- California accounts for about 80% of the world’s almond supply. Growers had about $3.52 billion in gross income in 2022, the state Department of Food and Agriculture reported. Almonds ranked fourth after milk, grapes and cattle.
- Stanislaus has fruit trees that bloom in early spring in much smaller displays than almonds. Its most recent crop report shows 3,893 acres of cherries, 3,586 acres of peaches and 1,921 acres of apricots.
John Holland
The Modesto Bee