I was instantly overwhelmed with amazement when I was able to see cherry blossoms for the first time. The flowers were so pretty that they looked as if they had hopped off of a movie screen or a painting. When the wind blew, tiny pink petals would fall to the ground so gently that everything felt calmer. As I stood staring at the line of the trees, I remember thinking of how much I wanted to share them with everyone, but pictures could not do them justice. I wanted to just stare at them all day and have a picnic beneath them. I think it takes a special flower to make someone feel as much as that tiny, pink flower made me feel, and I could tell everyone else viewing the trees felt the same.
Cherry blossoms originally lived in the mountains of China before the plant was taken in by the dynasties of Japan thousands of years ago. The trees were planted all over Japan. When Japan began to try and expand their territory, they brought this flower along and planted them in new locations. Thanks to the planting of these trees, cherry blossoms now speckle the mountains of South Korea naturally. As you are passing a high mountain, you may spot splashes of pink among a sea of green trees. They are also planted throughout the cities of South Korea because of their beauty.
Cherry blossoms grow in warmer conditions and they need a lot of sunlight to survive. The trees need to be on a slope and higher up towards the sun to prevent unexpected spring frosts from ruining their blossoms and their future cherries!
