Red and white threads attached to a Mongolian lime (Tilia mongolica) tree on Tooting Common, London Borough of Wandsworth, 29 March 2026.

For further information see other Baba Marta posts on this website, particularly that of 19 February 2019; such decorations are usually hung on trees which are blossoming, such as cherries (Prunus).

Comments

1. From Paul Cowdell, March 2026:  I first came across this in the Fens in 2012, and then heard about it being quite established in South Kensington; see https://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/…/bulgarian…

2. From Magda Magda, March 2026:  Romania has a similar tradition.  Martisor (red and white bracelet) is worn from March 1 for nine days or in some parts until the first trees bloom and then tied to the blossoming trees.

Attached to wild cherry (Prunus avium), also on the Common, 3 April 2026.

Attached to Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum) Paseo de los Tristes, Granada, Spain, 12 April 2026.

Attached to Staphylea holocarpa ‘Rosea’, Cambridge Botanic Garden, 14 May 2026.