Fargo's Orchard Glen Park sets up bloom tracker to follow flowerings

FARGO — Spring is bursting out all over, and at Orchard Glen Park in Fargo, the public can watch this week as the park's trees are expected to burst into bloom.

The blossoms can be seen in person or via the Fargo Park District's new Orchard Glen bloom tracker.

Images of the bloom progress will be uploaded on the FargoParks.com website, and a list of park trees and the dates they are expected to bloom will be available.

Image courtesy Fargo Park District

Bad weather can negatively affect the length of the bloom and winds and low temperatures may cause petals to fall faster than expected.

Video from a recent drone flyover of Orchard Glen Park can be found at www.fargoparks.com/parks-and-facilities/orchard-glen-park and on the park's Facebook page .

According to information on the bloom tracker, the following trees are expected to bloom in mid-to-late May: Patten Pear, Zestar, Trader Mulberry, Snowsweet, Royal Raindrops Crabapple, Kinder Crisp, Early Gold Pear, Dolgo Crabapple, Compass Cherry Plum and the Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry.

The Evans Bali Cherry is expected to bloom in mid June.

Orchard Glen Park is one of Fargo's nature parks and as such it is a community orchard intended for everyone to enjoy.

The park features blooms in the spring, vegetation in the summer and vibrant colors in the fall, according to the park's website.

Fruit produced by the orchard is available for members of the public to harvest.

The park district encourages community members visiting the orchard to bring an apple or fruit picker to harvest the fruit.

Guidelines for harvesting include:

• Harvest fruit only when it is in season.
• The fruit that is harvested is for personal use only. Businesses, wineries and breweries are prohibited from profiting off the orchard fruit.
• Do not damage trees while harvesting. Any unnecessary damage to the trees is assessed by the Park Forester on an individual basis. 

The months when certain fruit are most ripe include all of July for cherries, all of August for pears, August through September for plums and late August through October for apples.
Pace Maier, a marketing and communications specialist with the park district, said Orchard Glen Park is a popular spot, particularly during the warmer months of the year.

In preparation for this season's bloom, he said, a selfie booth was set up near the entrance to the park that allows people to take photographs of themselves with blooming trees in the background.

People are encouraged to share their photos with the park district, Maier added.

Orchard Glen Park is located at 900 Orchard Park Drive in Fargo. For more information, call 701-499-6060.