Dutch Tulip Fields Come Into Bloom

by | Apr 28, 2020

The full animated gif can be viewed on the Earth Imaging Journal home page (https://eijournal.com).


Captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on April 5, April 10, April 15 and April 20, 2020, this sequence of images shows how the fields change from browns and greens to an array of vibrant colors. Lasting just a few weeks, the beauty of these colors normally attracts millions of visitors from all over the world. Sadly, this is not the case this year, as the COVID-19 crisis means people can't travel and even locals are actively discouraged from visiting the fields.

The image features the area around the small town Lisse, home to the world-famous showcase for floriculture: the Keukenhof flower park. The area, which lies close to the coast in the Dutch province of South Holland, is famed for producing bulbs that are exported all over the globe. The fields are only in bloom for a few short weeks. When the tulips reach full bloom, the farmers quickly remove their colorful heads to divert the flowers' energy back to the bulbs to help keep them strong.

Image Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2020), processed by ESA

 

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