COVID-19 vaccinations are ramping up around the United States. There’s real reason to believe we might soon return to normal life, including safely traveling. We still aren’t out of the woods just yet though. You should probably still avoid heading to our nation’s capitol this spring to see its famous cherry blossoms. But fortunately in 2021 you’ll still be able to enjoy them wherever you are. You’ll be able to watch Washington DC’s annual nature show via livestream cameras set up for “BloomCam.”
The Trust for the National Mall has teamed up with its partners, the National Park Service and The National Cherry Blossom Festival, to bring the Cherry Blossom Festival to you. They have set up “ BloomCam” (which we first learned about at My Modern Met). The 24/7, live, real-time stream will let viewers from around the world tune in to enjoy the majesty of the annual cherry blossoms. They dot the the National Mall and Tidal Basin in the U.S. capital.
This year the National Park Service predicts the Yoshino cherry trees will hit their peak bloom between April 2 and April 5. “The peak bloom date for DC’s cherry blossoms is defined as the day on which 70 percent of the blossoms” are open. The BloomCam cameras, which will offer multiple angles of the natural extravaganza, are not live yet. (The date will be announced at a later time.) But this time-lapse video shows how the trees transform the landscape. Every year the pink and white blossoms of the new season replace the empty grays of Old Man Winter.
Spring has always symbolized rebirth, a time when we break free of the cold and miserable days of winter. We might not be quite ready to leave our homes just yet. But even getting to experience this beautiful show is a reminder that we are close that finally being true.
And it’s an incentive for us to go see it in person next year.
