DC’s cherry blossoms enter 2nd stage of bloom

The cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin in D.C. have reached the second of six stages of bloom with the florets now visible. The National Park Service predicts the flowers will peak in three weeks — depending on the weather.

The National Park Service announced the flowers’ progress on Tuesday morning.

You can watch their development on the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s bloom cam.


More cherry blossom news:


Right on time, the trees reached the green bud stage on Saturday; the first stage typically arrives in late February or early March.

Stage two — where the trees are now — is when the florets are visible. This year, it arrived a bit earlier than normal. Typically, this phase starts during the second or third week of March.

In the next stage, the florets will extend. Then in stage 4, the flowers start to become more visible.

During stage 5, those “puffy white” buds begin to open.

Finally, in stage 6 the flowers are at peak bloom — meaning 70% of the cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin are open.

WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.

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Jessica Kronzer

Jessica Kronzer graduated from James Madison University in May 2021 after studying media and politics. She enjoys covering politics, advocacy and compelling human-interest stories.

green buds
The first stage is the green bud stage. This usually happens between late February and early March. (Courtesy National Mall NPS via Twitter)
visible florets
Stage 2 is when florets are visible. This usually starts around the second or third week of March. However, back in 2015, stage 2 started April 1. (Courtesy National Mall NPS via Twitter)
extension of florets
Stage 3, or extension of florets, usually happens from mid- to late March. (Courtesy National Mall NPS via Twitter)
peduncle elongation
Stage 4, or peduncle elongation, usually happens at the end of March. (Courtesy National Mall NPS via Twitter)
puffy white
The puffy white stage occurs in late March or early April. (Courtesy National Mall NPS via Twitter)
peak bloom
Peak bloom is defined by the National Park Service as the day when 70% of the cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin are open. The date varies year-to-year and depends on weather conditions. (Courtesy National Mall NPS via Twitter)
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green buds
visible florets
extension of florets
peduncle elongation
puffy white
peak bloom
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