Photos by Cheryl Landes

From mid-March until early April at the University of Washington Quad in Seattle, pink and white blossoms burst from 29 Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry) trees. From a distance, the blooming trees look like rows of giant fans waving at the many visitors and photographers admiring their beauty. It’s also a popular place for students to hang out and chat or study.

When I lived in Seattle, I loved to walk around campus in the spring to look at the trees and other flowers and make pictures. Now, whenever I travel to Seattle in the spring, I make time to stop here for a pleasant scenic walk. The campus grounds are like a giant garden with a beautiful view of Mount Rainier on a clear day.

The University of Washington bought the trees in the early to mid-1930s and planted them in the Washington Park Arboretum near Mountlake Boulevard. The university moved the trees to the quad in 1962, during the construction of State Road 520.

Read more about the history of these beautiful cherry trees in this thesis by Yuki Shiotani (PDF).