The valley seemed barren now, he said, but in the spring, after a dusting of rain, it would be bright with cactus blossoms and yellow creosote.

NEWYORKER: The Martian Chroniclers

Such festivities are tinged with more fervour in the spring, when the Japan Meteorological Agency tracks predicted blooming dates of cherry blossoms across Japan.

BBC: K��y��: Japan��s autumn explosion of colour