Spring blooms bright pink in southern and eastern Kentucky, and Pike county hopes to welcome visitors to share the beauty of the hills this spring.

One of the best times to experience the beauty of Kentucky is April, officially called Redbud Month, with blooms bursting along the Country Music Highway, which includes Johnson, Floyd, Lawrence, Pike, Letcher, Boyd and Greenup counties.

Pike County Judge Executive Wayne T. Rutherford told the Fiscal Court at its regular meeting the county is receiving 500 redbud trees to add to the beauty of the county and to expand the opportunity to participate in the Redbud Trails Program.

“We have tentatively decided we would put 500 Redbud trees in our parks, community centers and other county property,” Rutherford said. “The excess trees will go to the county landfill for landscaping. There are 15 large trees which the Army Corps of Engineers has asked for, which we will be giving to them.”

Already known for scenic drives and concentration of cultural and historical attractions, the Country Music Highway is also possibly the best opportunity for redbud viewing in Kentucky.

The Redbud Trails programs promises to boost the natural beauty of the region while encouraging redbud aficionados to visit the area.

“Eastern Kentucky is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty,” Vicki Kidd, executive director of the Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association said. “People who live here appreciate that beauty and want to do their part to preserve, enhance, and celebrate it. There are million unfound treasures in this part of the world that we get to enjoy every day. It seems almost unfair not to share them.” Each spring, cities and counties throughout the region will celebrate the blooming of the redbuds with festivals, music, and quilts.