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In early spring, from Huanshan Road all the way to Wulai Waterfall inside the Wulai Scenic Area, the area behind Yunxian Station to Waterfall Park is ablaze with blooming Formosan cherry blossoms that dazzle the eye. Every year after the Lunar New Year, visitors come up the mountain to admire the blossoms and soak in the hot springs; along Huanshan Road, Waterfall Park, Xiluoan Road, and Township Road 107 you can capture the spectacle of the cherries in full bloom. The first to open is the deep-red Formosan cherry, followed by the pale-pink Yoshino cherry and then the romantic, light-purple double-petaled cherry, each more gorgeous than the last. Wulai’s Formosan cherry, also called the bellflower cherry, blooms from January to March and is the deepest, most vivid of all cherry varieties; when it flowers, the whole tree glows crimson, dyeing the emerald valley a brilliant red and making Wulai the best cherry-viewing spot in northern Taiwan. From November through February you can also stand on the banks of the Wulai gorge to hear the five-colored barbet’s courtship song and spot distinctive stream birds such as the Taiwan whistling thrush, plumbeous redstart, and common kingfisher, while crested serpent eagles circle above the ravine. Other residents include the Chinese bamboo partridge, Rufous-capped babbler, Taiwan blue magpie, gray treepie, large-billed crow, gray wagtail, little fork-tail, house swift, Asian house martin, and lesser racket-tailed drongo—making the area a remarkable open-air classroom of nature.