Tree blossom brings a welcome boost of colour to UK trees in spring, but for Mediterranean islands like Mallorca and Menorca, as well as the islands of the Canaries, spring blossom arrives a little earlier in February thanks to the almond trees.

In Gran Canaria, the towns of Valsequillo and Tejeda are both big celebrators of the Fiesta del Almendro en Flor or Festival of the Blossoming Almond. The sweet almonds are used in many of the island's traditional delicacies such as desert dishes and even wines. When almond production was a key product of the islands the communities that depended on healthy crops celebrated the arrival of the blossom as a sign that a good harvest was on its way and that tradition has continued today. The festivals are held across the island of Gran Canaria during early February.

Although Almond Blossom Festivals may seem an oddity in the UK, they are in fact a common feature of event calendars all over the world including Morocco, Sicily, California. In Australia their almond blossom festivals occur in their equivalent season which falls in early August.

The Lasithi Plain, an area of land that sits at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level in central Crete, is famous for its abundance of almond trees. The almond harvest was an important crop for the area and hundreds of old windmills, some of which have been renovated, are scattered across the plain. When these old windmills are joined by thousands of blossom-covered trees in late January, it makes a spectacular scene.

Crete , Mallorca, Menorca and Gran Canaria can all be reached on flights from the UK provided by flythomascook.com.