Weeping Cherry Blossoms – United States National Arboretum, Washington, DC

Since the 8th century of the common era, the Japanese have held flower viewing gatherings, or hanami, under mature trees such as these. In the past, they wrote poems and offered sake to the spirits – kami – that lived in the trees to assure abundant harvests. Today, while many people in Japan and elsewhere look forward to picnics and parties under the cherry trees, just pausing to admire the blossoms is "doing hanami." These two trees are weeping forms of the Higan cherry.