CHERRY BLOSSOM

For over 100 years , Cherry Blossom have made spring ,a magical season in Washington DC. Cherry

 Blossom festival commemorate the gift of Japanese cherry trees from the Mayor of  Tokyo City to

the city of Washington DC on March 27, 1912,.A Cherry Blossom is the flower of any of several

trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry called Sakura .

 In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or "Sakura," is an exalted flowering plant.  The beauty of the

cherry blossom is a potent and lasting symbol  of Japanese culture. The celebration is called Hanami

 ( Blossom Viewing ) in Japan in  which people from all walks of life gather under the blossomed

trees and enjoy the brief burst of the beauty of nature and springtime.

 In Japan Cherry blossom also symbolize clouds due to it its nature of blooming. Cherry blossom is

 speculated to be native to the Himalayas and is currently distributed widely in temperate zone of

northern hemisphere  such as Europe, West Siberia, South Korea, China, Japan and United States .

Washington, DC's famed cherry trees grow mainly in three park locations. They can be seen around

 the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, in East Potomac Park (Haines Point),and near to the  grounds

 of the Washington  Monument. Approximately 3,750 cherry trees are on the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC.

Different varieties of cherry trees participate in the blossom festival.The dominant Yoshino trees
produces  single white blossoms that create an effect of white clouds around the Tidal Basin and
 north onto the grounds of the Washington Monument. Akebono cherry trees, which bloom at the
 same time as the Yoshino trees, produce single and pale-pink blossoms.

The Kwanzan  cherry trees grows primarily in East Potomac Park and comes into bloom two weeks

after the Yoshino. It produces clusters of clear pink double blossoms. East Potomac Park also has

Fugenzo, which produces rosy pink double blossoms, and Shirofugen which produces white double

blossoms that age to pink. Interspersed among all the trees are the Weeping Cherry, which produces a

 variety of single and double blossoms of colors ranging from dark pink to white about a week before the Yoshino.

Other cultivars that can be found are the Autumn Cherry (semi-double, pink), Sargent Cherry which
 is single and deep pink), Usuzumi (white-grey), and Takesimensis. The dates of the National Cherry
 Blossom Festival are set based on the average date of blooming,  which is around April 4th.

Based on the weather ,the date when the cherry blossoms reach their peak bloom varies from year to
year. The blooming period  can last up to 14 days. They are considered to be at their peak when 70
percent  of the blossoms are open.  

Growing cherry trees in Washington was the brainchild of two flowering-cherry aficionados, Eliza
  Scidmore and Dr David Fairchild. Scidmore was an American globetrotter,writer, photographer and
 the first woman to sit on the National Geographic Society's board of directors. She was overwhelmed
 by the lovely blossoming cherry trees when she visited Japan.For 24 years she advocated for planting
  Japanese cherry trees in Washington DC.

 Fairchild was an American botanist responsible for  introducing  more than 200,000 exotic plants to

 America. He planted 75 cherry trees himself to test  their viability and succeeded in his  experiment.
 Pleased with the success he began to promote Japanese flowering cherry trees as the ideal type of
 tree to plant along avenues in the Washington area.

The first "Cherry Blossom Festival" was held in 1935 under joint sponsorship by numerous civic

groups, became an annual event. It is said that in Japan celebrating the cherry blossoms was an old

 tradition started  from 8th century onwards. These flowers are also considered as the unofficial

 national flower of Japan ( As Japan has not yet formally declared any national flower )

The festival is an annual, city-wide event featuring more than 200 international cultural

performances and over 90 other special events. More than 700,000 people visit Washington DC each

 year to admire the blossoming cherry trees that herald the beginning of spring in the nation's capital.

The two-week festival with an array of activities and cultural events takes place on the following days. 

 

The Blossom Kite Festival (formerly the Smithsonian Kite Festival) usually takes place during the

 festival's first weekend. Every day there is a sushi/sake celebration, classes about cherry blossoms,

 and a bike tour of the Tidal Basin. Other events include cultural performances, fashion shows, dance,

 singing,art exhibits (photography, sculpture, animation) ,rakugo, kimono , martial arts, merchant-

sponsored events, and a rugby union tournament.

 On the second Saturday of the celebration, a three-stage festival takes place on the Southwest

 Waterfront. The next morning, the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run  begins on the grounds of the

Washington Monument. Later in the day, dignitaries gather at the Tidal Basin to participate in a

ceremonial lighting of the 360-year old Japanese stone lantern.

On the last Saturday of the festival, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade takes place along

the Constitution Avenue. When the festival ends, a fireworks show begins on the nearby Washington

Channel. The pyrotechnic petals that burst overhead is one of the highlights of the National Cherry

Blossom Festival  and drew in huge crowds of spectators . 

 

 

Location: Washington DC
Camera: Canon Power shot A490, Canon Powershot SD 400,Nikon DSLR ( Arasu)

 

 

 

ROCK BRIDGE MEMORIAL STATE PARK, COLUMBIA

States Parks are protected areas having natural beauty, historical interest or recreational potential.

In USA, there are around 59 National Park and 6624 state parks. State parks are administered

by states while National parks comes under the direct control of federal government.

In Missouri there are 87 state park and historic sites covering an area of 200000 acres.

Established in 1967,Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is located in Boon County, Columbia.

The park has a karst topography with rock bridges, underground streams and sink holes.
Karst is a landscape formed by chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks.

The park offers several trails for hiking and bicycling in a  wild and scenic environment.

Major trails in the park are spring brook trail, Sinkhole trail, Karst Trail, High Ridge Trail,

Grassland  trail,  Gans Creek Wild area trail, Deer Run Trail and the Devils Icebox trail. 

Trails are  footpath located in different setting and have different uses. In North America it is

 also applied to routes along rivers and sidewalk on highway. Created in 1968, US National Trail

system include National Scenic trails, Historic trails and recreational trails.The most famous and

longest trail in North America is Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.

This state park is a great location for hiking ,cycling and horseback riding. Multiday hikes with
 camping is known by different names in different parts of the world.It is called backpacking in North
 America while in other parts of the world it is known as trekking or tramping.One can listen to wood
 peckers and watch wild life along the trails and  know the nature in close proximity.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park spreads in an area of 2272.83 acres or approximately 5 miles.
 This Park with its  lushly green and vivid vegetation offers a fascinating opportunity for the
visitors  to learn about plants, animals and wild communities  all across the trail.

Native to moist wood lands in eastern parts of North America Jack in the pulpit is a
 poisonous plant .The name Jack refers the central spadix  and pulpit refers the pouch shaped
 sheath like leaf. Overall the plant denote preacher standing in a pulpit (raised platform).

 Jeffereys shooting star is a plant with swept back petals.  This nodding flowers is believed to be
protected by twelve Greek Gods. Hence the name Dodecatheos which means twelve gods. Its
a bewitching sight to watch these wild flowers of the prairies blooming in colonies during spring .

Colorful and attractive wild red columbine can be seen all across this park. This  is a favorite
 flower for humming birds . At the same time this  plant is said to be toxic to wild herbivorous.

This pretty pink wild flower known as Evening Primrose start out as white and become pink when

 grew old. This shell pink flowers blooms in the day and night  and closes on full sun light. Native to

plains, deserts and grass lands of North America this flower  attracts the nocturnal wild.

Blue Eyed Mary is a pretty and tiny bicolor woodland wild flower with a true blue color. It  grows
 in the shady  mountain  and moist forests in western and northern parts of United States.    

  Dancing in the spring breeze, this flower is known as Wild blue phlox or wild sweet William
This is a semi evergreen perennial flower widely seen in the rock bridge state park.

Despite the trails, this park has many caves and creeks. Deer's, beavers and muskrats are seen
along  the secluded woods and grassy openings in the park. If you want   biking, scrambling and
hiking in a scenic and  wild solitude, Rock bridge memorial state park is a good choice.

Other than wild plants and animals, the major attractions in the park include Devils Ice box (a double

 sink hole), Connor's spring ,Natural tunnels, bottom land forests, creeks and hills .

The photos are taken as a part of the half day discovery trail arranged by Runge  conservation

center.It is  a volunteer led program to provide opportunities to people of all ages to explore
 the  best hiking trails of Missouri. The park is a great place to walk around and  has much
 to offer to any nature enthusiast.

 

 Location:  5901 South Highway 163,

                  Columbia, MO 65203

GODDARD SPACE CENTER: NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration( NASA) is the  space agency formed in 1958 by the

 US congress under the presidency of Dwight D Eisenhower. This agency  with its headquarters in

Washington DC is accountable for all the space explorations undertaken by the US government.

   The Goddard Space Flight Center established in 1959, is a major space research laboratory of

NASA. It is NASA's first space flight center, named in recognition of Dr. Robert H Goddard , the

pioneer of modern rocket propulsion in the United States. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is

home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that

build spacecraft,  instruments and new technology to study Earth, sun, solar system and the universe.

 Goddard visitor center located at Maryland is an educational museum . It demonstrates Goddard's

 innovative and exciting work in Earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science,

 engineering, communication and technology development to the public. The visitor center displays

only a  very few  models of space crafts and technologies developed by NASA. Many of the originals

 and backups are displayed at the National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian) at Washington DC. 

A model of Hubble Telescope can be seen at the entrance of the center. Launched in 1990 and still
 remains in operation, it provides a uniquely clear and deep views of the cosmos. Named after
astronomer Edwin Hubble, this is the world's first space -based  optical telescope constructed by
NASA. Although not the first  space telescope, it is one of the largest and most versatile telescope,
and is well known as  a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. One of the key
successful mission of NASA was repairing the Hubble Telescope ,which literally revolutionized  the
history of astronomy.Its scientific successor, the  James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is
scheduled to launch in 2018.

  The space era started on October 1957 when about the size of a beach ball, the Russian satellite
Sputnik  orbited earth and pulled Russia ahead in the  space race. It ushered a new political, military,
technological, and scientific developments and marked the start of US-USSR space race. In 1958,
Explorer1,the first satellite was  launched by America as part of its participation in the  International Geophysical Year .

Goddard Visitor  center exhibits many Images of the Solar system .NASA has been taking pictures of
 the Earth, the Moon , the Planets, and other astronomical objects inside and outside our Solar System
since its  creation. NASA has conducted many manned and  unmanned spaceflight programs
throughout its history. In 1961 Alan Shepard became the second person and the first American to
travel into space.  In 1968, NASA  launched a Mercury Redstone rocket  with "Ham the chimpanzee" on board.

A Model of space station and  images from space are displayed at the visitor center. Landsat Program
 of NASA has provided millions of images of the Earth to scientists . These Images are unique
resource for global change, research and applications in agriculture, geology, forestry, regional
planning,  education and  national security.In 1962 the TIROS satellite of NASA started continuous
 coverage of the Earth's weather and provided the first accurate weather forecasts based on data from space.

The Gemini program of NASA served as a stepping-stone to the Moon, testing astronauts' endurance,
 and the  rendezvous and docking maneuvers that would be needed for a lunar mission. Astronaut Ed
 White became the first American to walk on space on June 3, 1965. A few models of Artificial
satellites and   space shuttles are also exhibited  at the Visitor center.

There is a Sphere presentation theatre  with a 360 degree movie projector at Goddard Visitor center.
It projects the major  milestones and achievements of NASA including many useful information
about astronomy. The most attractive milestone in the history of NASA is the" giant leap for
mankind" happened on July 20, 1969. On that day, the whole world was  riveted, when Apollo 11
 Astronaut, Neil Armstrong stepped off the lunar lander Eagle and took man's  first steps on the lunar surface.

 Rocket Garden outside the visitor center displays a variety of rockets. The word "rocket" can mean
different things like a missile, spacecraft, aircraft, or vehicle that obtains thrust from a rocket engine.
In 1972, Pioneer 10 become the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt, and the first
spacecraft  to make direct observations and obtain close-up images of Jupiter. Launched in 1973 by
 the rocket Saturn V, Skylab is the first experimental space station of America operated by NASA till 1979. 

 Sounding Rockets also known as research rocket is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take
 measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. Of all the NASA
missions, none has visited as many planets, rings, and satellites, as the twin Voyager 1 and Voyager 2
 spacecraft, launched in 1977. Voyager 1, more than twice as distant as Pluto, is farther from Earth
 than any other human-made object.

Spacelab, a modular scientific laboratory developed by the European Space Agency in collaboration

with  NASA,  was launched aboard the shuttle Columbia in November 1983. The  Inter-national

 Space Station, seen with naked eye from earth is the largest and most complex international

  scientific project in the history. Led by the US, this habitable station draws upon the scientific and

 technological resources of 16 nations including Canada, Japan, Russia, 11 nations of the European

 Space  Agency and Brazil. Construction began in 1998 and crews staffed the station since 2000.

The Mars Pathfinder of NASA arrived at the red planet on July 4, 1997.Five orbiters currently

surveying the  red planet are Mars Odyssey (NASA),Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA),MAVEN

(NASA), Mars Express (European Space Agency)  and  Mangalyan ( India). Opportunity and

Curiosity are robotic rovers of NASA, landed on Mars. (A rover is an automated motor vehicle that

propels itself across the surface of the planet Mars upon arrival) .

Though NASA faced major disaster like the explosion of  the space shuttle Challenger (1986) and

Space Shuttle Columbia (2003) which killed all the crew, it continue planning to expand human

 knowledge of space; lead the world in space-related technological innovation; develop vehicles that

 can carry both equipment and living organisms into space; and coordinate with international space

agencies to achieve the greatest possible scientific advancements. NASA continues to seek answers

to some of the biggest mysteries of Universe. It stands to explore every  corner of space to expand

 the human knowledge about the universe.

 

 

 

Note: Cameras Used :-Canon Power shot A490

Location: 8800 Green Belt Road,

                Green Belt, MD 20771

                301 286 2000.