Winter in Aowanda: Sweetgum, Osmanthus, Cherry Blossoms and Azaleas in a Riot of Color

By MOOK Travel Life Network Editorial Team

In the winter of 2015, affected by global warming and the El Niño phenomenon, many parts of the Northern Hemisphere broke long-standing high-temperature records, and Taiwan was no exception, even setting a new record high temperature of 30.5°C on the winter solstice, the highest in 67 years. Located in central Taiwan, Aowanda not only experienced a disrupted maple leaf season, but also saw cherry blossoms — usually the delicate stars of spring — begin blooming ahead of schedule, making an early appearance. Together with sweetgum trees, which had delayed their color change, they created a rare and stunning spectacle in the cherry blossom area, featuring a colorful mix of red, yellow, orange, green, and the blue sky.

In previous years, the foliage of red maple and sweetgum trees in the park changed color around the same time, usually fading together after mid-December as they prepared for winter. This winter, however, with above-average temperatures, the foliage season was delayed. The red maples began shedding leaves in mid-December, while bald cypress, dawn redwood, and sweetgum trees only slowly started to don their yellow hues. After several cold fronts passed through, some leaves deepened to orange-red, but the cold spells didn’t last long and temperatures soon rose again. These unusual temperature fluctuations also confused the biological clock of the mountain cherry blossoms, which typically bloom in late January. Uncertain whether it was winter or spring, they couldn’t help but sprout delicate pink buds, creating a charming contrast with the orange-yellow hues of the nearby dawn redwoods and sweetgum trees. The scene attracted flocks of mountain birds, making this winter in Aowanda anything but quiet.