Last updated: March 25, 2021
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Mystery of the Broken Branch Stop 8: The Tree with the Broken Branch
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 8: The Tree with the Broken Branch
Head to Stop 8 by following the sidewalk towards the street ahead. Read the following story to continue the adventure!
NPS Photo
This is where we found the broken branch!” Jamal said, pointing to a tree a little way ahead. When they arrived, Taylor put the branch back on the ground where they found it.
“Good work! Let’s take a look around. What do you see?” Ranger Sarah asked. The kids explored and looked carefully at the tree, the ground, and everything around.
“I see more bees working here,” Imani said. “It looks like the blossoms are all here, even the fallen ones.”
“I don’t see any trash here, or any signs of digging or burrows around the roots,” Taylor said, inspecting the ground.
“It’s one of the trees that has the big pink flowers. The end of the broken branch looks a little thin and fragile,” Haru said, looking up at the branch. “I wonder if someone was trying to hang from the branch and it broke off?”
“That could be,” Ranger Sarah agreed. “Sometimes people try to climb the trees to take pictures. Climbing trees is one of my favorite things to do! But these trees are too fragile to climb. There are so many people who come to visit them, we all have to be gentle with the branches. After all, these trees belong to everyone!”
NPS Photo
"Hey, what's all this mulch for?" Jamal asked, picking up a small piece of wood from the ground.
"Let's investigate!" Ranger Sarah said. They gathered around the circle of mulch surrounding the cherry tree. "What do you see?"
"It's like a blanket over the ground," Haru said.
"That's a good observation!" Ranger Sarah agreed. "The mulch protects the tree roots and the soil around the roots. Without the mulch blanketing the roots, the earth was being baked by the sun and getting too dry. And what do roots do?"
"They carry water and nutrients from the earth to the tree," Taylor answered.
"Right!" Ranger Sarah agreed. "So the mulch protects the soil, which nourishes the roots, which feeds and waters the tree, and anchors it into the ground. This also helps the right kind of fungi to grow, which is important for the roots to be healthy."
"Keeping the roots healthy is really important for the trees!" Jamal said as they stood up.
Imani pointed a little ways ahead on the trail. “Hey, what’s over there? It looks like a huge statue!”
“Let’s explore!” Ranger Sarah said, following the kids as they hurried to get a closer look.