Climate change has come to Washington, DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival opened over the weekend and will run until April 14. However, the blossoms reached their peak on March 17th, the earliest on record, due to warm winter weather. The star of this year's festival is a tree named Stumpy, which has become a viral sensation. This tree has lost most of its branches, and the trunk has become hollowed out, yet it stubbornly blooms every year. This year is Stumpy's last hurrah, as it is one of 140 cherry trees to be cut down and made into mulch for a seawall reconstruction project. The mulch will be used to nourish the remaining trees, and Stumpy's branches will be rooted to produce new trees. When the seawall is completed, 277 new cherry trees will be planted.
Tourists visiting Washington for this year's cherry bloom are paying tribute to Stumpy. Continue reading to see some of them.
Stumpy on Jan. 16, 2024, and March 16, 2024. Sadly, I won't get a summer or fall photo of Stumpy this year. pic.twitter.com/YlwHHbFxZv
— Kevin Ambrose (@dcstormchaser) March 18, 2024
Someone left Stumpy some Makers Mark pic.twitter.com/m9r9zmzweb
— Joe Flood (@joeflood) March 19, 2024
I posed for a photo with Stumpy this afternoon.
— Kevin Ambrose (@dcstormchaser) March 19, 2024
Stumpy is the mascot for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K, which will run during the first weekend of April. It’s quite a fitting mascot for 2024. pic.twitter.com/hQ8YAnDTq9
The @Nationals Racing Presidents made a brief appearance at the Tidal Basin this morning. They honored ‘Stumpy’ before the beloved tree is cut down after this peak bloom season. @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/IDPoBl0aGR
— Marcella Robertson (@Marcella_Rob) March 22, 2024
Stumpy / the person who played taps for Stumpy on a saxophone this evening pic.twitter.com/MS3aprbKCi
— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) March 23, 2024
This was AWESOME TV! The National Park Service is removing Stumpy — an internet famous cherry tree known for its short stature and odd shape. We said 'goodbye' LIVE on-air during the @fox5dc #FOX5LIVEZONE w/ @JenDelgadoFOX and The National Symphony Orchestra.#FOX5 pic.twitter.com/VhoMI3fmVH
— GuyLambert (@GuyLambertNews) March 20, 2024
Thank you, @NatlParkService, for caring for the 112-year-old gift of cherry trees đ¸. We visited #TidalBasin to honor #Stumpy, one of our most beloved symbols of đŻđľ-đşđ¸ friendship. Your legacy will live on, nurturing future generations of friendship â¤ď¸. pic.twitter.com/t3hg3MhL09
— Japan Embassy DCđ¸ (@JapanEmbDC) March 22, 2024
If you can't make it to Washington, you can check out the cherry blossoms any time during the festival with the live BloomCam.