DC cherry blossoms halfway through bloom stages

Gabby Allen
·1 min read
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WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin in D.C. are officially halfway to peak bloom, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Friday.

With florets extended, the blossoms have officially entered stage three of six.

DC cherry blossoms enter Stage 2, florets visible

Cherry blossoms in their Extention of Florets stage.<br>(The National Park Service)
Cherry blossoms in their Extention of Florets stage.
(The National Park Service)

These are the six stages which the National Park Service tracks as part of its Bloom Watch each year:

  • Green Buds

  • Florets Visible

  • Extension of Florets

  • Preduncle Elongation

  • Puffy White

  • Peak Bloom

NPS estimates peak bloom will take place from March 23 to March 26.

The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin draws visitors from all across the District and the world. The trees were gifted to the nation’s capital in 1912 and “signal Washington’s beginning of spring with an explosion of life and color that surrounds the Tidal Basin in a sea of pale pink and white blossoms,” NPS says on its website.

To learn more about the bloom and keep track of the blossoms’ stages, you can visit NPS’s Bloom Watch here.

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