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Yoshino cherries in bloom under a blue sky with buildings in the background and a person talking a photo of the trees in the foreground.

Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) trees, above, are no longer in bloom. The trees are leafing out.

Crabapple (Malus) flowers are open now. Two locations to view the flowers en masse are the grouping across from the Holley Monument and the grove to the west of the Arch.

The park is also home to Kwanzan Cherries (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’). The flowers of this species are opening. The flowers of the Kwanzan Cherry are larger than and have more petals than the Yoshino Cherry. We keep track of the intra-annual seasonal changes in the park’s trees. You can follow along on Instagram and Twitter.

An opening flower bud of a saucer magnolia in WA Sq Pk in SPring 2022.

Remember the recent frost? Many magnolia flowers with exposed petals were burned. A magnolia’s hairy bud is the equivalent of a down coat. You can see healthy Star Magnolia flowers (near the toddler playground). The grove of Saucer Magnolias in the northwest corner were largely spared.

A leaf bud of a tuliptree swelling and opening to reveal leaves in WA Sq Pk in Spring 2022.

The Tuliptree does not flower until later in the season but the leaf out of this tree is not to be missed. Find the park’s two tuliptrees near the bocce sand court.

A person with dark skin holding a black smartphone by Anomaly via Unsplash.

Add the following program dates to your calendar.

  • Every 2nd Thursday – NEW episode of Your Bird Story, available wherever you listen to podcasts
  • Thursday, April 21, 12pm-4pm – Explore Birds program at the Earth Day 2022 celebration in Union Square Park
  • Saturday, April 30, 10am-12pm – City Nature Challenge: Biodiversity Counts, Garibaldi Plaza Washington Square Park
  • April and ongoing – Bird specimens featured in Street Lab EXPLORE at Chelsea Market
  • Sunday, May 15, 11am – Bird exploring and crafting at the Naval Cemetery Landscape, Brooklyn Greenway

Did you see the Purpleleaf Plum tree blooming in the southwest corner?