Many areas around the world are carpeted in colourful wildflower blooms at this time of year, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, we may not be able to see them in person. We can take consolation in the fact that lots of wildflowers can be enjoyed online, and these are some of our favourites.
The National Trust in the UK has created a 20-minute virtual bluebell video, using archive footage of its own. Almost half of the world’s bluebells grow in the UK, and the National Trust's sites are ideal habitats for them to flourish. The warm weather has caused them to bloom early in many areas, and you can enjoy the "slow TV" shots of the flowers in its YouTube video.
The annual poppy bloom in Walker Canyon in California attracts a huge amount of visitors, but the trail is closed to the public this year. To encourage social distancing, the city has placed a live camera feed on the site so viewers can enjoy the view of the poppies along Walker Canyon Trail from home. The 360-degree camera can be accessed here.
Instead of hoping that visitors will visit its gorgeous cherry blossom displays, Washington, DC, is encouraging people to admire them online instead. You can visit its live "bloomcam" at the National Mall Tidal Basin here, and can check out the National Cherry Blossom Festival's virtual offering here.
An abundance of nemophila flowers, also known as "baby-blue eyes," are currently blooming at the Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan, which is currently closed to the public. New photos have been taken to show the 5.3 million flowers in all their glory, and you can check them out on the park's Instagram page here.
At this time of year the Netherlands is usually carpeted in beautiful tulips. This year's famous Keukenhof Flower Exhibit had to be cancelled, but it has launched "Keukenhof Virtually Open" instead. It is sharing a series of videos showing what the grounds look like, including one video that shows beautiful hyacinths and another that shows the tulips.
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