Stumpy The Cherry Tree Delights Visitors; But Might Have A Grim Future

Stumpy, a struggling cherry tree along Washington DC's 
Tidal Basin, has become a fan favorite, despite, or maybe
because of its distressed look. Photo by 
Kevin Ambrose. 

 Every year, thousands, perhaps millions of visitors descend on Washington DC for the annual blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.   

All reports are this year's display was lovely, despite a freeze that threatened things briefly around March 19 and 20.

It all ended well, though, including for Stumpy, perhaps the favorite of all the cherry trees in Washington.

To be clear, as the Washington Post notes, Stumpy is not the world's prettiest flowering tree. Far from it. 

It's the springtime equivalent of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.

As WaPo describes it:

Stumpy the cherry tree is struggling
because of salt water flooding from the Tidal
Basin.  Climate change and rising sea levels
could cripple other cherry trees. 

"Stumpy is a hollow, stump-shaped cherry tree located on the south bank of the Tidal Basin in Washington. It has a strip of bark on one side that transports nutrients to a few small branches sprouting from its top. 

Throughout the year, Stumpy's roots are flooded with brackish water from flooding tides of the Potomac River, which is harmful to its health. Yet, the tree survives year after year, bursting with blossoms each spring." 

During peak bloom last week, people waited in long lines to be photographed or take selfies with Stumpy. 

Stumpy actually looked a little healthier this year than in previous years. Its main branch has grown enough to frame the Washington Monument if you take a photo from a low angle, notes photographer Kevin Ambrose, who wrote the piece in WaPo.

As goofy and fun as Stumpy's story is, it does signal a potential looming danger. As noted, cherry trees don't do well at all if their roots are exposed to salty water.   Due to climate change, the water in the Tidal Basin will tend to rise and flood more frequently in the coming years and decades.

Since so many of the cherry trees are along the Tidal Basin, climate change could threaten the annual spring spectacle of those flowering trees.