Jamie Forzato, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – The cherry blossoms are not in full bloom yet, but they are beginning to pop.
The National Park Service predicted that Saturday marks the first day of the peak bloom period. Many of the trees just have buds, but that didn’t stop thousands of people from heading down to the Tidal Basin to see them.
The spring temperatures have been colder than expected, so the peak bloom times were pushed back to April 6 through 8.
“We’re Marine Corps and it’s our first year back after being gone a long time, so we had to see the cherry blossoms,” says Kal Buckles from Silver Spring, Md. “This is like coming home again.”
Ted and June Dunn from Oakton, Va., woke up at 5:30 a.m. to beat the tourists and photograph the blossoms at sunrise. Ted hopes the blossoms will really pop over the next several days.
“Some of them are out, but not much,” he says. “I figure, three or four more days, and they’ll be glorious.”
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