It was a bittersweet moment at the Tidal Basin on Thursday as Washington D.C.'s residents and tourists alike flocked to bid farewell to a local legend - a cherry tree endearingly known as 'Stumpy.' Scores of visitors came out to take one last picture and pay their respects to the iconic tree, which the National Park Service (NPS) has slated for removal, DC News Now reported. The small yet famed flowering cherry tree has become a fixture for both visitors and photographers over the years, located just a stone's throw away from the celebrated Jefferson Memorial.
Ahead of Washington's renowned cherry blossom season, with full bloom expected between March 23 and 26, Stumpy stands out among the basin's foliage, a symbol of both nature's resilience and the fragile state of the basin's infrastructure. In what seemed like an afterthought wrapped in an announcement, the NPS declared on Wednesday that Stumpy and several hundred other trees were going to be axed in an effort to facilitate repairs to the Tidal Basin's deteriorating seawall, as detailed by USA Today.
The collective mood was somber, but the event didn't go unnoticed. Multiple news crews set their cameras rolling, capturing the intimate scenes of adoration for this pint-sized arboreal star. It wasn't just Stumpy that people were there to see - D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Festival is also kicking off on Friday with the annual pink tie party, boasting a full roster of events, including a parade and fireworks, stretching into mid-April. Nonetheless, Stumpy has clearly upstaged even the National Mall's grand memorials and monuments in recent times.
If you wanted to find Stumpy, you'd just look for the crowd, according to the tree's unexpected popularity detailed in The Washington Post. With the Jefferson Memorial towering in the background, the tiny cherry tree - one of the Tidal Basin's smallest and most distressed - has captured an outsized amount of public affection, often becoming a quirky checkpoint for curious tourists who've brushed up against the more traditional landmarks. The Park Service's Mike Litterst told The Washington Post, laughing as he noted the disproportionate attention given to Stumpy: "While the National Mall has so much to offer — with its impressive memorials, monuments, trees, and history — people continually ask where they can find Stumpy."
Stumpy's pending removal underscores a broader issue: the preservation of Washington's cherished cherry trees and the battles waged against both natural and man-made threats to their survival. As the cherry blossoms prepare for their annual show of pink-hued splendor, Stumpy remains a stark reminder of the delicate balance that the National Park Service must navigate between maintaining tradition and forging ahead with necessary infrastructural changes.
