Last updated: March 25, 2021
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Mystery of the Broken Branch Stop 3: Haiku
Follow the Trail
Follow the trail with Ranger Sarah and a group kids as they search the Tidal Basin for clues about the cherry trees. You can follow along this mystery adventure from home or when visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival at the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, DC.
The image is a map for a kids activity called "Junior Ranger Story: The Mystery of the Broken Branch". Each activity directs participants to a place on the map. The map centered around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. The trail has blue dots numbered clockwise around the Tidal Basin marked with numbers 1 through 12 and named for the title of the individual activity at that location.
The map legend says "Story Trail Guide". Stops marked on the map include:
Stop 1: The Trail Begins, which is located on the east end of the Kutz Memorial Bridge on Independence Avenue.
Stop 2: Pollination Station, which is located to the south of Stop 1 on the Tidal Basin.
Stop 3: Write Your Own Haiku, which is located along the Tidal Basin near Maine Avenue.
Stop 4: Cherry Trees Around the World, which is located on the Tidal Basin near the intersection of Basin Drive and Ohio Drive.
Stop 5: Jefferson Memorial, which is located at the Jefferson Memorial plaza on the Tidal Basin.
Stop 6: Japanese Pagoda, which is located at a stone pagoda structure on the west side of the Tidal Basin near the south end of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Stop 7: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which starts at the north end of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and continues through the memorial.
Stop 8: The Tree with the Broken Branch, which is located near West Basin Drive just north of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Stop 9: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which is located on the plaza of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Stop 10: Festival History, which is located along the Tidal Basin just east of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Stop 11: Hanami, which is located on the Tidal Basin near Independence Avenue between the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the Kutz Memorial Bridge.
Stop 12: Japanese Lantern, which is located at a stone lantern statue on the west end of the Kutz Memorial Bridge on Independence Avenue.
The map legend says "Story Trail Guide". Stops marked on the map include:
Stop 1: The Trail Begins, which is located on the east end of the Kutz Memorial Bridge on Independence Avenue.
Stop 2: Pollination Station, which is located to the south of Stop 1 on the Tidal Basin.
Stop 3: Write Your Own Haiku, which is located along the Tidal Basin near Maine Avenue.
Stop 4: Cherry Trees Around the World, which is located on the Tidal Basin near the intersection of Basin Drive and Ohio Drive.
Stop 5: Jefferson Memorial, which is located at the Jefferson Memorial plaza on the Tidal Basin.
Stop 6: Japanese Pagoda, which is located at a stone pagoda structure on the west side of the Tidal Basin near the south end of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Stop 7: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which starts at the north end of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and continues through the memorial.
Stop 8: The Tree with the Broken Branch, which is located near West Basin Drive just north of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Stop 9: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which is located on the plaza of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Stop 10: Festival History, which is located along the Tidal Basin just east of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Stop 11: Hanami, which is located on the Tidal Basin near Independence Avenue between the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the Kutz Memorial Bridge.
Stop 12: Japanese Lantern, which is located at a stone lantern statue on the west end of the Kutz Memorial Bridge on Independence Avenue.
Stop 3: Haiku
Head to Stop 3 by following the trail along the Tidal Basin as it gets closer to the street. Read the following story and write your own haiku!
NPS Photo
Imani looked around as they walked around the pathway. “We ran here so fast, I didn’t notice how many different kinds of trees there are," she said.
“The blossoms come in so many different colors and shapes!” Taylor agreed.
“They sure do!” Ranger Sarah said with a smile.
"It's amazing they bloom in all these colors every spring," Jamal said.
"That reminds me of a poem I heard about cherry trees," Ranger Sarah said. "Let me see if I remember it."
Every spring it rains
Trees and flowers awaken
Color fills the air.
"That’s a haiku!” Haru said. “My grandfather taught me how to write those poems. You think of a line with five syllables, a line with seven syllables, and a line with five syllables.”
“Well done, Haru!” Ranger Sarah said. "There are lots of different types of cherry trees here in Washington, DC, and many more types around the world! Poetry is a great way to celebrate the trees blooming and the return of spring."
Activity: Write Your Own Haiku
A haiku is a Japanese poem style that is three lines long. Each line has a specific number of syllables:
First line: 5 syllables
Second line: 7 syllables
Third line: 5 syllables
Now you try! Write or recite your own haiku. Slide the arrow to the left in the image below to reveal a hidden haiku about the cherry blossoms.
Left image
Credit: NPS Image
Right image
Credit: NPS Image