Black Garters, Large Rodents, and Cherry Trees. We highly recommend taking the easy to use Metrorail system as a What's the Connection? means of getting around town. The station most convenient to the cherry trees is the Smithsonian stop at 12t h Street and Independence In the spring of 1999 the symbol of friendship, the herald of spring, the Ave S.W. natural icon of the National Mall: the Japanese Cherry Trees were threatened by locals. These locals are native to the region and are the We want you to have a fun and safe cherry blossom vi ewing experi ­ largest rodents in North America. They average 3 feet (1 m) in length ence. Use caution when vi siting the park, especially crossing the and weigh up to 44 lbs. (20kg). Their incisors allow them to fell large streets. Please use crosswalks. trees. They eat tree bark, water plants, shrubs, grasses, and fruits. These rodents are beavers and three of them felled four trees in 1999 and damaged several others causing a national uproar. The National Picking the flowers . Park Service had to decide how to manage the native beaver species Wearing blossoms in your hair and the non-native cherry trees. Relocating the beaver family solved Climbing the trees ... the problem. Physica l barriers were also installed around more Gnawing down trees for dam vulnerable trees. These black "garters" and chicken wire enclosures construction . .. keep beavers from girdling and killing the trees. Management practices have been successful so far, ensuring the legacy of the cherry trees lives on to hearken again the coming of spring in our nation's capital. May seem fun and harmless, but these activities hurt the trees and are rohibited. Mrs. Eliza Scidmore makes Dr. Fairchild holds Arbor Day first request to Public observance, giving cherry Trees arrive in Washfngton. The first Cherry Dec. 11, four cherry trees are Th e parent stock for D. C's first !vfr. Yositaka Mikimoto Japanese Government sends fifty trees are propagated Building and Grounds to saplings to D. C. school boys. USDA finds trees Blossom Festival cut down in what is assumed cherry rrees are desrroyed in donates the Mikimoto Pearl another generous gift of 3, 800 from 1400+ old have Japanese Cherry trees Mrs. Scidmore attends and unacceptable due to Workmen is held and to be in retdliation for the Japan during WWII. National Crown, made of two Yoshino trees to Lady Bird 676 replacement cherry trees "Usuzumi" tree growing planted on newly reclaimed expresses interest in planting diseases and order they be continue planting becomes an bombing of Pearl Harbor. Trees Park Service sends budwood pounds of gold and holding Johnson. She and Mrs. Ryuji are planted via donations to in the ltasho Neo village Potomac Waterfron t trees in the park. Dr. Fairchild burned. Dr. Takamine trees around Tidal annual event in referred to as "Oriental" from descendants of those trees 1, 589 pearls, to coronate Takeuchi, wife of Japan's the National Park Service in in Japan, as a gift from These requests continue for embraces her idea, and they offers another gift of Basin and Easr subsequenr f-"lowcring Cherries throughout back to Tokyo in effon to restore the National Cherry Blossom Ambassador; re-enact the 191 2 order to restore number of it<; people, and planted in the next 24 years begin working together. 3,020 treP~. ~! Potomac Park. years. the rest of the war. original site. Festival Queen. planting. trees to original 1912 amount. the park. 1885 . ~- 1908 1910 , ~ 1913-1920 1935 1941 1952 1957 1965 ~ 986 - 1988 f. 1999 ;~~~~~~f~r~it-t~~t~tt.t~~k~~k'~~{~~F{~~~k~~~~~~,~~~'-'"'k'k'k'kJ'kFk'k,{,k,k'k'~~~~r~~~r~rlrw;t~ 1906 1909 1912 1927 1938 1948 1954 1958 1982 1997 2002 - 2005 USDA official Or. David Mrs. Scidmore and Fairchild seek 3,020 healthy trees safely Washington school A group of •Nomen chain Princesses are Sadao lgurhi, Japanese Pagoda is 800 cuttings from Tidaf Basin In cooperation with the 450 trees propagated from Fairchild imports and plants support from First Lady Taft and arrive in D. C. First Lady Taft chifdren re-enact themsel•tes to the selected Japanese presented to city of trees are collected by U.S. National Arboretum, the surviving trees from the 100 Japanese Cherry trees offer to donate the trees. Plan dnd Viscountess Chinda original planting beloved cherry rrees in from evef'J State in Ambassador to Washington by the Japanese horticulturists to cuttings are taken from 1912 donation are planted on his land in Chevy Chase, gets attention of visiting Japanese plant first two trees in small ceremony an effort to save them hopes of becoming U.S., presents 300 Mayor of retain genetic characteristics the documented to ensure the pre_rerva tion of MD to test their hardiness. dignitary Dr. Jokichi Takamine who ceremony from being destroyed the Cherry Blossorh year old Japanese Yokohama and and to replace trees that surviving Yoshino trees the genetic lineage. offers donation of 2, 000 trees in during construction of Queen to reign Stone Lantern to placed on 11vest perished in a flood in Japan. from the 1912 shipment the name of Tokyo. She accepts, the Thomas Jefferson during fei;twa/_ city of \11/ashinglon. bank of Tidal Rasin. The cycle of gift giving ro preserve the genetic :yrrdJ rr~ tional gift givfng Memorial continues and the ro'Jeof Thr. "'- cycle begins. trees as a symbol of PLEASE DO NOT PICK THE BLOSSOMS! fnend::.hip 1::, ::.olidified. Blossoming Gifts Th e National Cherry Blossom Festival® ce lebrates the gift of the cherry For nearly a century, t he beauty of the blossoming cherry trees has Who takes care of the cherry trees? bloss om trees and t he enduring friendship between the citizens of the enchanted visitors on the National Mall and Memorial Parks. United States and Japan. Th e Festiva l is an annual two-week, city-wide The ca re of t he cherry trees is entrusted to the National Mall and event featuring ov r 150 international cultural performances, sporting Gifts from Japan in 1912, the 3,020 cherry trees arrived in the United Memorial Parks tree crew, each o ne a professional arborist. Their hard events, arts & crafts demonstrations and other special events. States as living symbols of friendsh ip between the two nations. In a work and loyalty to this precious resource has ensured the survival of formal ceremony, First Lady Helen Harron Taft and the Viscountess t he flowering cherries, living gifts and symbols of friendship. Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted the first cherry trees along t he Tidal Basin. Washington, D.C. residents quickly embraced the How you can help! trees and, by 1935, established the Cherry Blossom Festival as an annual eve nt. During your visit, there are things you can do to protect the trees such as not walking on the roots, not picking t he blossoms, and not climbing The cherry trees are a particularly fitting element of the National Mall t he trees. To help maintain and preserve the Cherry trees you can and Memorial Parks. Just as monuments and memorials represent donate to the Cherry Tree Endowment Fund by calling (202) 407 - 9408 universal ideals of unity, equality, and freedom, the cherry trees also or by going online to: re present universal ideas. Th ey serve as symbols of the beauty and brevity of life, reminding us of the inherent equa lity of our shared www.nationalmall.org/donationform.php mortality. This fundamental concept crosses all borders and represents NATIONAL a co mmon truth among humankind. The deep appreciation felt for the Use the drop down menu to se lect Cherry Tree Endowment Fund. The cherry blossoms testifies to this universality of the human mind and f und is managed by the Trust for the National Mall, the official spirit. non-profit partner of the National Pa rk Service dedicated to restoring and improving the Nat ional Mall. ~~ "When will the cherry trees bloom?" Ancient Traditions Carpel Kids Corner! or All living thing*s are* connected! Plants and animals* need* food just like Unfortunately, this is not the easiest question to answer. It is nearly } Pistil Th e significance of the cherry blossoms begins prior to the 8th century impossible to give an accurate forecast more than 10 days before the we do in order to survive. The bright colorful flowers of the cherry A. D., when the Japanese ce lebrated the fertility of the earth with peak bloom. It is no wonder t hat given the brevity of the blossoms, trees attract people to them and also play a big role in nature! Flowers prayers under the blossoms. The cherry blossoms, called sakura, appear people want to catch them at the height of their beauty, or peak need pollen from other flowers to make seeds. How do they get that in paintings and poetry more often than any other image aside from bloom. The Peak Bloom Date is when 70 percent of the blossoms of the pollen? From insects such as bees who carry the pollen from one flower the moon and Mount Fuji. Currently, the Japanese celebrate the Yoshi no Cherry trees are open. This date varies from year to year, to another. The bees love pollen because it is their food! What would blossoms with hanami. Literal ly meaning "flower viewing," the term depending on weather conditions, which has resulted in blooms as early happen if there were no flowers? Would there be any bees? refers almost exclusively to viewing cherry blossoms.