Walking around the Tidal Basin enjoying the beautiful scenery, I decided I would fill the 12 panels of the little DIY journal I had made by folding a 9×12” watercolor sheet with cherry blossom sketches.
Missing the little ‘stumpy’ I dug out a photo from 2024 and sketched it to embellish the haiku I wrote.
Cherry blossom clouds
Wind whispers petals quiver
Soft carpet below.
I finally completed the last two panels of the sketchbook with a few facts about the cherry trees from my research. I was surprised to read that wild cherry trees are native to Himalayan region. There are now hundreds of species/cultivars.
The cherry blossoms on a tree last about 10-14 days, but it really depends on the weather. A thunderstorm or strong winds shorten the show trees put out! No wonder it is a symbol of ‘impermanence.’ The first opening of the bloom is called ‘Kaika’, and full bloom is known as ‘manakai’. The art and science behind predicting the first blooms and peak blooming are fascinating as well!
Sketching and researching the blooms surely made the cherry blossoms last a lot longer for me!
Filling the pages made the cherry blossoms lasted much longer for me :)
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