Nothing says spring quite like the cherry blossoms, and you won’t have to wait long before the quintessential pink flowers are covering Washington, DC’s Tidal Basin once again. The National Park Service announced on Wednesday that the peak bloom is expected to occur from March 22-25.
Peak bloom is defined as the period of time when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees are open, according to NPS. The timeline of when trees bloom changes from year to year, and is highly dependent on weather conditions.
It’s happening! Small green buds are on the Yoshino cherry trees, marking the first of six stages on the way to peak bloom.
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) February 23, 2023
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Learn more about the blossoms: https://t.co/h04Gu0ksc1
NPS photo #Cherryblossom #BloomWatch #NationalMall #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/pbjqjjCY0Q
Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said during a news conference that the warm conditions this winter had an impact on the trees.
“The indicator tree is showing us several different phases of blossoms as a result of the wide variations in temperatures and the weather that we’ve seen in the last weeks,” he said.
Horticulturists in charge of monitoring the blossoms track their progression through a series of five stages: green buds; florets visible; extension of florets; peduncle elongation; and puffy white blossoms.
Trees this year began the first stage, showing green buds, on February 23.
Reinbold also stressed the importance of visitors caring for the trees while viewing them, noting that there will be signs posted near the trees with tips on how visitors can help protect them.
Visitors will be able to celebrate the bloom during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 to April 16. The festival marks 111 years since Japan gave the trees to DC as a symbol of friendship.
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