There are about 1,700 cherry trees planted in the southwestern part of Washington, D.C. They live along the Potomac River and around a connecting body of water called the Tidal Basin. The city’s first cherry trees were a gift from Japan to the United States in 1912. Each year, about 1 million people travel to Washington to see cherry blossoms growing on the trees. The best time to see the blossoms usually is in late March through early April. There are parades and other events to celebrate the flowering trees and the return of spring. About two weeks ago, we reported that an unusually warm winter had forecasters worried that the blossoms might come out early. After all, on March 1, the air temperature in Washington reached 27 degrees Celsius. Some of the trees were already producing pink and white blossoms. But then the weather began acting more like winter. It got colder and snowy. In fact, last Wednesday, the temperature was - 5 degrees Celsius. There was snow on the ground. Many of the blossoms and buds froze when the snow turned to ice. The U.S. National Park Service says about half of the blossoms were destroyed. But there are so many trees, and so many buds, that experts think visitors to Washington will still enjoy the cherry trees.