The phrase "cherry blossom season" often conjures up images of lush, full trees, with strong branches reaching up toward the sky and hundreds of flower petals gently drifting into the Tidal Basin. But ...

In the flood of adjectives used to describe Stumpy during the famous cherry tree's last peak bloom — "hero," "icon," "sensation," "celebrity" and so on — "stubborn" is a word used less often. But ...