Kashmir Valley Seasons

Its lush vegetation and wide variety of fruits presents a different face for every season. The almond trees blossom in March when the thaw begins, but it's the chinars, which leaf in April that really herald spring. Strawberries and cherries are on sale in May, followed by apricots in June and apples in July.

The sound of running water dominates the vale in May and June as the snow melts rushes down from the high snows and is channelled on the terraces to irrigate the rice, barley and wheat crops. During these months, group of colourfully dressed women sing as they stoop to plant the rice shoots in paddies across the vale. The chinar trees are in full leaf, while on the mountain slopes the villagers are cutting firs and cedar for building houses or repairing those damaged by the winter snow. The Gujars begin moving their herds of sheep and goats to the high pastures and ranunculus, anemone and impatient begin to flower in the meadows and along the streams.
The early autumn brings pears, pomegranates and walnuts. Waterbirds and swallows, heading south for winter, pause in Kashmir in great numbers. Finally the leaves fall and by November or December the first snow can be expected around the valley. In January housboat roofs must be shovelled clean to prevent them being pressed into the lake by the weight of snow.
In winter the Kashmir Valley can be a bitterly cold place and Dal Lake freezes over on occasion. Kashmir becomes a quieter, more sedate place than during the hectic days of summer. Houseboat owners bring out their pot Belly stoves and hang carpets at the doorways to keep in the warmth, and the valley, now stilled by a thick layer of snow, rests.

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