Get ready to see Washington, DC, awash with pink flowers — the region’s iconic cherry trees are expected to reach peak bloom between March 23 and March 26, the National Park Service announced in a news conference today.
Peak bloom is the time frame when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open, according to NPS, and it varies based on the weather conditions that year. The full blooming period can span “from several days to up to two weeks,” according to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
The predicted peak bloom this year was impacted by a warm January, which prevented the trees from entering dormancy, and a “wide range of temperatures,” according to Jeffrey Reinbold, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks.
“We are seeing the effects of both warmer and highly variable temperatures,” said Reinbold.
Reinbold also reminded visitors to care for the trees while visiting. Stay on the paved surface so you don’t tamp down the ground and don’t pick the blossoms.
“We look to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to the Tidal Basin every year to be good stewards of the trees,” he said.
This year marks the 112th anniversary of the gift of 3,020 cherry trees from Tokyo. Today, NPS estimates that there are about 3,800 cherry trees within the National Mall park, primarily Yoshino and Kwanzan varieties.
NPS uses a system of five stages to see how the blossoms are progressing, from the early “green bud” stage to the “puffy blossoms” stage that marks the blooms are almost here.
The region will get to celebrate the blooms with the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, which will run from March 20 to April 14. Expect a full slate of fun events to celebrate the season, from free concerts at the Tidal Basin to the spectacular Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on April 15.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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