Spotting these pretty pink flowers signals the start of spring, but have you ever wondered about their history? Cherry blossoms, which aren't native to the U.S., have quite the surprising backstory.
While D.C. is one of the most popular places to travel during Cherry Blossom season, you can also see the pretty pink blooms at the following locations: around Boston's Charles River, the Capitol Mall in Salem, Oregon, the Cherry Blossom Walk in Nashville, Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ, the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, the University of Washington in Seattle, the Dallas Arboretum, and throughout several orchards in the Traverse, Michigan area.
Known as "sakura" in Japanese, these pale blooms are a symbol of more than just spring—they stand for renewal and hope.
The Japanese love cherry blossoms so much, they've turned them into an ice cream flavor.
The century-old custom is known as "hanami," which means flower viewing. Early scripture hints that the tradition began with emperors and members of the Imperial Palace.
Defined as the day when 70 percent of Toshino cherry trees are open, peak bloom varies each year with the mean date April 4 in Washington, D.C. The blooming period can last up to 14 days.
An average Japanese cherry tree is around 25 feet tall, while some can grow to 50 feet tall with a 40-foot wide canopy. With some TLC, these trees can reach 75 feet in their native habitat.
For these late-night picnics, known as "yozakura," the Japanese hang paper lanterns in cherry blossom trees to illuminate them.
It's likely that you've been to a cherry blossom festival before. According to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C., the flower is celebrated as a symbol for the friendship between Japan and the U.S.
Japan sent the trees to the U.S. to represent friendship and goodwill. In 1915, we reciprocated by sending flowering dogwood trees to Japan.
In 1910, U.S. inspectors from the Department of Agriculture recommended burning this gift from the Japanese after finding insects and diseases in the trees. According to Washingtonian, this nearly caused a diplomatic crisis.
Want to catch cherry blossoms in all their glory? You'll want to wait until March, when bloom predictions are made, to plan your trip.
The top perfume in the U.S. at one point was Bath and Body Works' Japanese Cherry Blossom. Thirty million units of the mixture of cherry blossoms, crisp pears, mimosa petals, and sweet sandalwood are sold each year.
The image, cherry blossoms framing Mount Fuji, is a common postcard view, thanks to its lake-surrounded location.
National landmarks surrounded by spring flowers attract visitors to Washington, D.C.'s Tidal Basin each spring.
Rather, it's Macon, Georgia, which is home to 300,000-plus Yoshino cherry blossom trees. While these trees obviously are not native to the South, William A. Fickling Sr., a local realtor, discovered one in his own backyard in 1949. On a business trip to Washington, D.C., he learned more about cherry blossoms and sought to bring more to his hometown.
According to the Huffington Post, these flowers likely originated somewhere in Eurasia before migrating to Japan.
In Japan, the most popular variety is "Somei Yoshino." In the U.S., mainly Yoshino hybrids line the Tidal Basin, National Mall, and Potomac waterfront.
The Takesimensis variety, known for its white flowers, is actually more common than you might think in the U.S. Other blossoms change colors throughout the blooming period, such as Ukon, which go from greenish yellow to white before turning pink.
While cherry blossom season usually lasts about a month, from the time the first to the last tree blooms, each individual tree may only flower for about a week. Trees usually live for 30 to 40 years.