So long, Stumpy: A brief history of the beloved cherry tree
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A beloved tree named Stumpy is one of more than a hundred Japanese cherry trees that crews will remove from the Tidal Basin beginning in May.
When the National Park Service (NPS) announced Stumpy’s removal on Wednesday, people took to social media to express their heartbreak at losing the small, twisted cherry tree.
@UVAHooGirl on X exclaimed “NOOOOOOO NOT STUMPY 😭😭😭,” while @CertainlyNotLiz
professed “I stand with Stumpy #SaveStumpy.”
Another user, @Jeffreys703, simply said “Stumpy has run out of steam! 😥.”
‘Stumpy’ among 140 cherry trees being removed for Potomac River seawall construction in DC
Stumpy first swept social media in 2020 in a Reddit thread under r/washingtondc. Pictured was a sad-looking Stumpy with blossoms budding on a cloudy D.C. day. The caption read: “This tree a little aways from Jefferson memorial is as dead as my love life, but I love it!”
Since then, people have grown attached to the little nub, trekking out to the Tidal Basin to visit Stumpy – especially when peak bloom comes around each year.
Devastated Stumpy fans are making their way to the tree for the last time this year. The New York Times reported that one fan recorded a video of Stumpy while he recited a poem dedicated to the tree on Wednesday.
Rising sea levels and sinking seawalls have led to twice-a-day flooding around the basin, leaving behind mud and debris, inundating trees planted along the seawall, killing them.
The tree removal is part of an NPS project to reconstruct 6,800 feet of seawall, raising the basin and widening walkways.
Stumpy sits mere feet from the wall, right in the flood area. It has continued to bloom, despite its decaying trunk, serving as a symbol of resilience and hope for many who visit during peak bloom.
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