Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 6, 2018

The buds are still doing their thing and still have a way to go before blooming. There’s some unsettled weather coming up over the next week or so, but it shouldn’t pose too many problems for the cherry trees.

Photo of Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.
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The cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on March 17, 2024. That's the second-earliest on record.

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Latest Updates on the 2024 Bloom
Peak Bloom Forecasts in Detail

The buds are still doing their thing. They’re moving into the “florets visible” stage now, the second of the five development stages tracked by the NPS before actually blooming. So they still have some work to do before the flowers come out.

As usual, the indicator tree is well ahead of the others, but it also still has a way to go before flowering. If you look very closely, you can see some the outside of some white petals just starting to poke through on some of the buds. There are some photos of it taken this morning below. This time last year it and a handful of others were already bloomin.

Upcoming Weather/Snow

There’s some unsettled weather coming up in the next week to ten days, including some maybe-it-will, maybe-it-won’t forecasts for a few possible snowstorms.

After the freeze damage last year that destroyed about half of the blossoms as they were about to bloom, it’s natural to wonder if we’re in for a repeat. That’s unlikely, at least from these waves of weather over the next week or so.

There are two reasons. Firstly, at the stage the vast majority of the trees are in now and will be over the next week, the buds are quite well protected against the cold. It’s really only when they’re in the final stage before blooming that they’re vulnerable to freezing, and they’ve still got some developing to do before they get to that stage. It just so happened that last year many of them were in precisely that stage when the Arctic blast rolled in with very cold temperatures over several days. Secondly, I’ve not yet seen any forecasts suggesting extremely cold temperatures of the kind that would cause a problem even if the buds were in their vulnerable stage. So at this point I don’t see a lot of cause of concern. Given how preciously some of the oldest overhanging branches seem to be hanging on, I’d be more concerned about the weight of snow and ice on them, but that’s only a small number of the oldest trees.

We have a few more cooler days and then things will start warming up a bit. That will help speed things along with the buds.

Photos from this Morning

These were all taken this morning.

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018
Taken with a Sony a6000 with a 16-50mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 lens at 16mm @ ISO 100 . 1/250 sec . ƒ/4.

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 6, 2018
These are some of the oldest of the trees and have trunks or thick branches arching out over the water.

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update: March 6, 2018

Indicator Tree

The indicator tree is consistently a week to ten days or so ahead of the others. This time last year it was blooming. As of this morning, it still has a way to go.

You can find more information about the indicator tree here.

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

Cherry Blossom Watch Update - March 6, 2018

For Photographers

Renting Photo Gear

If you’re looking to rent some gear, there are some deals worth knowing about:

  • BorrowLenses has 15% off any rental. Use coupon code TAKE15OFF. Offer expires 3/12 and orders must be delivered/picked up by/on 3/19. They’re also offering 20% off a selection of popular gear (use coupon code 20FOR20 and only applies to these lenses and cameras.
  • Lens Pro to Go currently has 15% to 25% off through March (must be delivered by March 30).

For local options, Ace Photo, District Camera, and f8 Rentals also offer rental gear, although their selections are often not as extensive as the big online places. And if you’re shooting video, DC Camera’s offerings are worth a look.

Cherry Blossom Photo Tours

Walking photo tours can be a great way to learn some new photography skills with the help of experts. And photo tours for the cherry blossoms can take advantage of expert local knowledge to know where to be when to get the best light and vantage points.

If you’re looking to do a photo tour while you’re visiting, there are a few options. The best place to start is with Washington Photo Safari, but there are also some other options, which you can find on the DC photo tours page.

Most of these tours are limited to small groups, so it’s a good idea to book well in advance if you can. Of course, that also means rolling the dice in terms of when the cherry blossoms will be in bloom.