Every spring, the Washington DC area loses its mind over cherry blossoms.

For about two weeks, the region transforms into something almost absurdly beautiful; pink and white blossoms galore and a general sense that maybe things aren’t so bad after all.

The mania is understandable. Certain neighborhoods are so famous for their cherry blossoms trees that they have to restrict parking to residents. Brookside Gardens and the National Arboretum are mobbed by locals hoping to get that perfect shot for their engagement announcements or graduation photos.

And then there’s the Tidal Basin—weeks of peak bloom forecasts, predictive temperature models, parking restrictions, and finally two weeks of pink clouds along the water that pass in a blink before the heat and mosquitoes arrive. Spectacular and brief.

What most people don’t know is that the same brief window that brings out the blossoms also brings Yellow Warblers through the region on their way north. They don’t stay long— warblers are restless, always moving, passing through on their way to somewhere else. If you’re not paying attention you’ll miss them entirely.

There’s something about that particular yellow—warm, almost orange, like someone turned the brightness up on a goldfinch—that feels right against cherry blossoms. It’s like the sun finally coming back after months of enduring sad, muddy grass and a cloying coldness that never quite leaves your shoes.

The blossoms will be back next year. The warbler will pass through again too, right on schedule, whether anyone’s paying attention or not. That’s the thing about living here—you can spend all your time watching the political spectacle, or you can look up into the trees.