WASHINGTON — The Associated Press captured photos of Mississippi National Guard members patrolling in the nation’s capital, where cherry blossoms have reached peak bloom and the city’s spring rush is in full swing.
Members of the Mississippi National Gard patrol among the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin on the National Mall on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Tom BrennerThe Mississippi National Guard said in mid-March that soldiers from the 890th Engineer Battalion were headed to Washington to help provide security in the city. It is part of an ongoing effort President Donald Trump started last year, deploying troops to Democrat-led cities including Los Angeles; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and D.C. What has been billed as an effort to address crime in those cities has spurred protests and raised legal and political questions.
Mississippi is one of at least 11 Republican-led states, along with D.C., that deployed troops. ABC News reported earlier this month that the Pentagon said the operation could continue until the end of Trump’s term, Jan. 20, 2029.
A member of the Mississippi National Guard walks among the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin on the National Mall on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Tom BrennerThe National Park Service says the flowering blooms on the cherry trees in Washington hit their peak on Thursday, meaning 70% of the Yoshino Cherry blossoms are open. The park service says this timing is typical for late March and early April.
The Washington Post reported that the average date for peak bloom has become earlier over the past century, from April 4 to March 29, amid human-caused climate change.
The blooms last only a few days. Cool, calm weather helps them stay, but rain, wind or heat can strip petals fast.
Members of the Mississippi National Gard patrol among the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin on the National Mall on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Tom BrennerThe National Cherry Blossom Festival runs for four weeks, with music and Japanese cultural events. The Tidal Basin is where most of the trees are located, but parts of it are fenced off for seawall repairs.
The cherry blossoms date back to a 1912 gift of 3,000 trees from the mayor of Tokyo, and the Japanese government remains involved in their care and in the annual festival celebrations.
In 2024, Fumito Miyake, minister for public affairs at the Japanese Embassy, said his government’s decision to contribute an additional 250 trees would be a “birthday present” in advance of this summer’s celebration for the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Members of the Mississippi National Gard patrol among the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin on the National Mall on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Tom BrennerAgain this year, visitors are contending with a somewhat restricted blossom appreciation area at the Tidal Basin, home to the highest concentration of the trees. With the National Park Service still in the midst of a three-year renovation project to shore up the basin’s aging seawall in time for this summer’s anniversary, parts of the basin are fenced off.
More than 100 of the trees had to be cut down as part of that project and will be replanted.
Members of the Mississippi National Guard walk among the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin on the National Mall on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Tom BrennerHence then, the article about photo gallery mississippi national guard in washington during peak cherry blossom time was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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