Last year someone was concerned enough that they left multiple post-it notes around the Tidal Basin telling visitors that taking cherry blossoms as souvenirs is not OK.

The city’s famed cherry blossoms will be in full bloom next week, which means thousands upon thousands of people walking along the Tidal Basin to take in the pinks and whites. For most people, a picture will suffice. For others, though, they simply need a souvenir.

An online survey conducted by the Crime Museum and published yesterday found that 17 percent of respondents admitted to picking cherry blossoms off of the trees. Yes, this is an unscientific survey, but it doesn’t take a sleuth to find someone picking a blossom off of a tree.

People, just don’t do it. The practice is forbidden by the National Park Service, as we wrote last year, much as is hanging off of the trees. Plus, every time you pick a cherry blossom a puppy gets punched in the nose. It’s a horrible fact.