Chicagoans take part in ‘hanami' cherry blossom viewing at Jackson Park as blooms make long-awaited return
After a few years of underwhelming results, Chicago's cherry blossoms are back in bloom.
People from across Chicagoland flocked to Jackson Park over the weekend to see the pink and white trees in bloom, located just south of the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry under the shadow of the Obama Presidential Center development. Visitors took advantage of the trees for a nice photo opportunity or to have a moment of tranquility in the park.
The successful bloom results are due to the right temperature balance this year, according to Karen Szyjka, operations support manager for the Chicago Park District.
In order to have a successful cherry blossom bloom, Szyjka explained, the trees need to experience a certain period of cold temperatures — known as 'chill hours' — to fully break dormancy and produce their flowers. But fluctuating temperatures and earlier springs in recent years have messed up that process, causing many of the buds to go straight into leaf form.
'I was so sad last year when they didn't bloom. So I've definitely made it a point to come out this year to see them,' said Allison Ernst, 28, who drove down from Ravenswood with her fiance, Brendan Hein, to see the trees.
The couple had come once before to Jackson Park to see the cherry blossoms when they were in bloom, but they said that time was toward the end of the bloom, when many of the petals had already fallen off the trees.
'It's beautiful,' Ernst said. 'I've been loving seeing all of the trees around Chicago going into bloom, and it gives so much hope that summer is coming and the weather is changing. It's a really good visual indicator of the seasons turning over.'
For others, it was their first time seeing the trees in bloom in Chicago. Clarissa Obregon, 28, felt lucky to have a day off during the bloom, despite the gloomy weather Sunday.
'It's still a lovely day, regardless of the rain. (There's a) good amount of people here, enjoying it with me, so that makes it even better,' Obregon said.
The Rogers Park resident is a flight attendant, which means that days off can be unpredictable. She decided to use her day off to sit by the Columbia Basin lagoon and sketch the cherry blossoms in a small green notebook she got from Boise, Idaho.
'I'm trying to build up this little notebook that I got,' Obregon said, who just started filling it up with sketches of little flowers.
The first set of cherry blossom trees were planted in 2013 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Another 50 trees were added in the three following years by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago in honor of their 50th anniversary and the relationship between Chicago and Japan, according to the Chicago Park District.
The Park District planted an additional 34 trees in the fall of 2022 around the Museum of Science and Industry steps, bringing the total to 190.
The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago is also funding the planting of 60 additional cherry blossom trees at the grove in honor of the organization's 60th anniversary. In 2024, 20 trees were planted in the southwest Columbia Basin, north Wooded Island and Japanese Garden areas. This year, sites for another 20 will be identified, and the trees will be planted during the spring and fall planting seasons.
Regardless of temperatures and bloom, Chicagoans can also appreciate the bloom cycle. The cherry blossom trees, Szyjka explained, are part of a tradition known as hanami, which is the Japanese word for flower viewing. An important aspect of hanami is appreciating not only the bloom itself, but the transient nature of the flowers.
'The important and beautiful aspect of watching and participating in the whole process is that you're never really assured that you're going to have a bloom, that some years may be great and some years might not be — but that's kind of the way life is,' Szyjka said. 'When there's a beautiful bloom and a beautiful season, you embrace it with everything that you have.'
Even when the cycle is finished and the heart-shaped petals are on the ground or floating through air, there is still a beauty for people to appreciate, Szyjka said.
'And to me, there's nothing more beautiful than the end stage, when you see these little hearts floating through the air, or you look down in the ground, you see a little pile of hearts — I just think it's lovely,' Szyjka said.
While the cycle is not yet finished, others at Jackson Park expressed a similar sentiment Sunday.
Elianis Rosado, 28, has lived in Chicago her whole life but had never seen the cherry blossoms before. The Garfield Park resident visited the trees Sunday with a friend to take photos and enjoy the scenery.
'They're a little paler than I expected, but they're so whimsical, and just seeing the petals blow in the wind was almost cathartic in a way, and just so peaceful,' Rosado said.
Chicagoans can also participate in an official hanami festival on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. The festival, which is being held in partnership between the Park District and multiple cultural organizations, will include everything from taiko performances to origami folding. Attendance is free, and more details can be found online at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/hanami-cherry-blossom-viewing-festival-jackson-park.
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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
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Chicago Tribune
20-04-2025
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Chicagoans take part in ‘hanami' cherry blossom viewing at Jackson Park as blooms make long-awaited return
After a few years of underwhelming results, Chicago's cherry blossoms are back in bloom. People from across Chicagoland flocked to Jackson Park over the weekend to see the pink and white trees in bloom, located just south of the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry under the shadow of the Obama Presidential Center development. Visitors took advantage of the trees for a nice photo opportunity or to have a moment of tranquility in the park. The successful bloom results are due to the right temperature balance this year, according to Karen Szyjka, operations support manager for the Chicago Park District. In order to have a successful cherry blossom bloom, Szyjka explained, the trees need to experience a certain period of cold temperatures — known as 'chill hours' — to fully break dormancy and produce their flowers. But fluctuating temperatures and earlier springs in recent years have messed up that process, causing many of the buds to go straight into leaf form. 'I was so sad last year when they didn't bloom. So I've definitely made it a point to come out this year to see them,' said Allison Ernst, 28, who drove down from Ravenswood with her fiance, Brendan Hein, to see the trees. The couple had come once before to Jackson Park to see the cherry blossoms when they were in bloom, but they said that time was toward the end of the bloom, when many of the petals had already fallen off the trees. 'It's beautiful,' Ernst said. 'I've been loving seeing all of the trees around Chicago going into bloom, and it gives so much hope that summer is coming and the weather is changing. It's a really good visual indicator of the seasons turning over.' For others, it was their first time seeing the trees in bloom in Chicago. Clarissa Obregon, 28, felt lucky to have a day off during the bloom, despite the gloomy weather Sunday. 'It's still a lovely day, regardless of the rain. (There's a) good amount of people here, enjoying it with me, so that makes it even better,' Obregon said. The Rogers Park resident is a flight attendant, which means that days off can be unpredictable. She decided to use her day off to sit by the Columbia Basin lagoon and sketch the cherry blossoms in a small green notebook she got from Boise, Idaho. 'I'm trying to build up this little notebook that I got,' Obregon said, who just started filling it up with sketches of little flowers. The first set of cherry blossom trees were planted in 2013 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Another 50 trees were added in the three following years by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago in honor of their 50th anniversary and the relationship between Chicago and Japan, according to the Chicago Park District. The Park District planted an additional 34 trees in the fall of 2022 around the Museum of Science and Industry steps, bringing the total to 190. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago is also funding the planting of 60 additional cherry blossom trees at the grove in honor of the organization's 60th anniversary. In 2024, 20 trees were planted in the southwest Columbia Basin, north Wooded Island and Japanese Garden areas. This year, sites for another 20 will be identified, and the trees will be planted during the spring and fall planting seasons. Regardless of temperatures and bloom, Chicagoans can also appreciate the bloom cycle. The cherry blossom trees, Szyjka explained, are part of a tradition known as hanami, which is the Japanese word for flower viewing. An important aspect of hanami is appreciating not only the bloom itself, but the transient nature of the flowers. 'The important and beautiful aspect of watching and participating in the whole process is that you're never really assured that you're going to have a bloom, that some years may be great and some years might not be — but that's kind of the way life is,' Szyjka said. 'When there's a beautiful bloom and a beautiful season, you embrace it with everything that you have.' Even when the cycle is finished and the heart-shaped petals are on the ground or floating through air, there is still a beauty for people to appreciate, Szyjka said. 'And to me, there's nothing more beautiful than the end stage, when you see these little hearts floating through the air, or you look down in the ground, you see a little pile of hearts — I just think it's lovely,' Szyjka said. While the cycle is not yet finished, others at Jackson Park expressed a similar sentiment Sunday. Elianis Rosado, 28, has lived in Chicago her whole life but had never seen the cherry blossoms before. The Garfield Park resident visited the trees Sunday with a friend to take photos and enjoy the scenery. 'They're a little paler than I expected, but they're so whimsical, and just seeing the petals blow in the wind was almost cathartic in a way, and just so peaceful,' Rosado said. Chicagoans can also participate in an official hanami festival on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. The festival, which is being held in partnership between the Park District and multiple cultural organizations, will include everything from taiko performances to origami folding. Attendance is free, and more details can be found online at
Chicago Tribune
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Children hunt for St. Patrick's Day treasures at Park Ridge hunt event
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