March 5: Kwanzan cherry

Near the building where I teach, there are several small trees, obviously ornamental, which just yesterday burst out with the most amazing profusion of pink blossoms. Not your ordinary fruit tree blossoms, but large, extra-fluffy ones; it looks like the trees are absolutely covered in droopy carnations. So I took a chance and googled "tree with fluffy pink blossoms like carnations." Lo and behold, that's exactly how other people describe them!

It's the Kwanzan cherry tree, and they come from east Asia. I've never seen the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., but apparently Japan's gift of trees to the U.S. capitol included some Kwanzan cherries.



When I returned to my office, I found a soft pink petal clinging to the heel of my shoe.