WASHINGTON, March 27 — Nature lovers flocked to the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC yesterday for the official start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival where the US capital's world famous cherry trees were hitting their peak bloom.

Tokyo gifted some 3,000 trees to Washington in 1912 and since then the festival has become one of the biggest springtime parties in the US. — Reuters

People paddle a swan-shaped boat as visitors walk along the Tidal Basin to look at cherry blossoms in Washington March 25, 2016. ― Reuters pic