This week marks the beginning of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual event held in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the gift of some 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees given to the city in 1912 as a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States.
The grounds of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building are home to two of the original group, which are also among only nine remaining from the 1912 gift.
You can learn more about the local blossoms in this resource guide or through this video that presents highlights of the Library exhibition (now available online) “Sakura: Cherry Blossom as Living Symbols of Friendship.”