Now
that it’s getting to be spring, I always look forward to all of the pretty new
flowers and trees that will grow again.
My favorite of these is probably the Japanese Cherry Blossoms in
Washington D.C. The trees were a gift
from Japan to the United States to symbolize friendship between the two
countries. In 1910, 2,000 trees were
shipped the United States to be planted along the Potomac River. Sadly, these trees were found to be infected
with bugs; this led to another shipment of trees from Japan, which was even
larger. In 1912, 3,020 cherry trees of
various types were shipped to Washington D.C.
The first lady of the time, Helen Herron Taft, who was instrumental in
getting the trees to Washington, and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the
Japanese ambassador planted the first two trees on the bank of the Tidal
Basin. Japan later donated a gift of
another 3,800 trees in 1965. The cherry
blossoms have grown to be a large part of Washington D.C. in the spring.
There is the Cherry Blossom
Festival, which was first celebrated in 1935.
The festival begins at a different time each year, depending on when the
blossoms bloom. This year it is March 20
through April 14. It has expanded to
include a Cherry Blossom Parade and a Cherry Blossom Pageant. I went to the see the cherry blossoms when I
was younger, and it was one of the prettiest things I've ever seen. The trees are absolutely full of blossoms,
and they fall to the ground like pink snow.
We collected the cherry blossoms in film canisters, and it was so neat
to see all of the different cherry blossom-themed activities in
Washington. I hope to go again this
year, but it is definitely something everyone should see at least once.
Information: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/bloom-watch/
http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm
Picture: washington.org
