7 Photos of Washington D.C.'s Beautiful Cherry Blossoms

In 1912 the Mayor of Tokyo City, Yukio Ozaki, donated 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees to the United States as a gift of friendship between Japan and the US. They were planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC and each spring the trees flower a puffy pinkish-white flower. Tourists and photographers alike flock to photograph these historic trees and their beautiful short-lived blossoms among Washington DC's iconic monuments. The weather this year was exceptional, allowing a week's worth of full bloom to take place early in the season.

I loved the way the sunrise light was warming up the tops of the blossoms with the 555-ft.-tall Washington Monument and the golden colored sky lit the background.

A close up of the very delicate cherry blossom flowers.

Construction of the Jefferson Memorial began in 1939 and was completed in 1943. The area around the monument has become extremely prone to flooding and an effort to "Save the Tidal Basin" has begun.

This photo of the Washington Monument courtesy of Josh Peterson.

Blue hour along a perfectly still basin

Cherry blossoms, spring greens, and the Washington Monument

Fiery skies rising over Washington DC.

The blossoms usually bloom around late March to early April and are all dependent on the weather. The warmer the weather, the earlier they bloom. If you can't get to DC for the cherry blossoms, there is still PLENTY to do around the National Mall. Check out the websiterun by the National Park Service for more information. If you do plan on shooting the cherry blossoms at sunrise in the coming years, arrive early as there will be crowds.