Growing up in Ohio, there were always a few tell-tale signs that spring had arrived. Birds would start migrating back north. Flowers were in bloom and trees were filled with bright leaves. The weather became cool, and my spring allergies would kick in with gusto. Korea has a climate similar to Ohio's, so I expected the seasonal change to be fairly similar, except with the trees covering mountains instead of forests. For the most part, this expectation has proven true. But being in Korea during the spring has been extra special for two reasons: spring festivals and cherry blossoms!
Growing up, I always associated blossoming cherry trees with Japan. But since coming to Korea, I've found out that cherry blossoms are actually found across many temperate climates, including Korea, China, Afghanistan and some places in the U.S. The cherry blossoms are a lovely and important part of spring in Korea as well.
The cherry tree is a large towering tree with spread-out branches. At the tips of the branches, there are many beautiful white flowers. I always envisioned cherry blossoms as being pink, but it turns out that the blossoms are mostly white, save for a small area at the center of the flower that's bright pink. So, from far away, the tree gives off a pink color.
