During its final bloom, tourists and groups come to honor and celebrate this now famous tree.
“Stumpy was quietly emerging as a rock star in the Tidal Basin before news of his death arrived. Now, he has achieved superstar status and the public is beginning to see his struggles as a 'potential.' “A small cherry tree,'' said Phil Stewart, director of cherry blossom events at the credit union, in an email.
Michael Harper, deputy principal trumpeter of the National Symphony Orchestra, traveled to the Tidal Basin in southwest Washington on Wednesday for a “tree serenade.”
“I heard about Stumpy a few days ago and thought I should go see the last bloom before I meet the axe,” Harper said in an email.
Doug Smith, who visited Stampy from Mount Airy, Maryland, on Monday, said the fanfare around the tree could be explained by everyone's love for the “good underdog story.” He described fans taking paparazzi-style photos and placing flowers at the base of trees.
“Stumpy strikes a deep chord with anyone who has ever worked hard to be good enough and felt like an underdog,” Smith said. That's why “everyone loves Stumpy and wants to see him saved.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Stampy, the credit union's Cherry Blossom Event Group's life-sized mascot, visited the Tidal Basin and posed for photos and videos.
During the visit, the mascot was mopped by photo seekers and children on field trips who wanted to meet Stampy.
“Mascots have a special way of shining a light on those around them,” said John Hall, who was wearing a mascot costume.
At the LEGO Discovery Center in Springfield, Virginia, Stampy, built entirely out of LEGO, was in full bloom, as was the Tidal Basin, the Jefferson Memorial, and the National Mall.
National Mall and Memorial Park spokesman Mike Litterst (whose son Andrew did the Lego construction) said this year's announcement of sea wall repairs and tree removal was intended to help people travel. He said that the announcement was made before the cherry blossoms bloomed. Visit the Tidal Basin and visit Stumpy one last time.
The seawall project began in May, and Stumpy will be among about 300 trees to be cut down this year. Replanting mature trees is expensive and difficult, Litterst said, especially given the number of trees. And Stumpy is so weak that it probably won't survive replanting.
Clippings from Stumpy will be sent to the National Arboretum to create genetic matches. It is hoped that tiny Stumpy clones will be planted on the National Mall and in nearby parks. The remaining Stumpy and other trees will be ground into mulch and spread around the base of the remaining cherry trees to protect the roots and nourish the soil.
“It's the circle of life,” Litterst says.