Cherry Blossom Time

(Photo courtesy of Lesley Frowick from NationalGeographic.com.)

Just now, cherry blossoms are abundantly in bloom along the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. The blooming of the pink and white blossoms heralds spring's arrival in the nation's capital, where hundreds of thousands of visitors flock each year to visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Maintaining the 3,000-plus cherry trees is a big job for the National Park Service. According to the service, there are exactly 1,678 cherry trees surrounding the Tidal Basin — and more than 2,000 others nearby. Every year, Tree Crew members prune the trees, treat bark wounds, monitor for insects and disease, and replace any trees lost to old age or other problems.

The famed cherry trees were given to the U.S. capital city by Japan in 1912. Twelve different tree varieties made the oversea journey from Yokohama to the District of Columbia. The flowering cherry tree, or sakura, is one of the most exalted flowering plants in Japan, where the blossoms' short but beautiful blooming time is a symbol for the evanescence of human life.



Spring came with tiny lances thrusting,
And earth was clad in peeping green;
In russet bark, the twigs incrusting,
Tenderest blossom-points were seen;
A robin courier proclaimed good cheer:
Summer will soon arrive, for I am here.

And now from pink-kissed boughs in flower
The languid breeze arousing shakes,
With every honeyed breath, a shower
Of feather snow in drifting flakes;
And cherry trees in bloom, like ricks of white,
Are veiled with smoky, amethystine light.



An excerpt from the poem, "Blossom Time," by Wilbur Larremore.