Park trees are still holding onto their leaves. For example, Dawn Redwood (pictured above) is coppery bright with needles. This conifer, a tree with needle-like leaves, is deciduous. The leaves turn chestnut in the autumn and fall throughout the season.

Christmas Bird Count 2023

Join us on December 17th to observe and count birds in Washington Square Park during the 124th Annual Christmas Bird Count! Details and registration (via NYC Audubon).

Plants & Plumage Page-turner Raffle

Local Nature Lab—our parent organization—has raised more than 25% of its fundraising goal. If you have bought entries in the raffle, thank you! If you are hearing about the raffle for the first time, check out the wonderful nature books, for all ages, donated and signed by their authors.

Phenology Update

There are many empty American Sweetgum seedballs on the ground now. However, there are still fruit on the trees and some of them contain seeds. Witness the sparrows visiting the two sweetgums at the Thompson Street entrance. One Tuliptree is bare while the other retains less than 25% of its canopy. Star Magnolia, Yoshino Cherry, and Prunus ‘Kanzan’ are also bare. Swamp White Oak has lingering leaves but they are all dead. Young oaks will hold on to their dead leaves through winter and this behavior is called marcescence. Littleleaf Linden, Silver Maple, Red Maple, Kousa Dogwood, and Eastern Redbud have varying degrees of leaf cover. The Ginkgo at the southeast corner has a substantial amount of leaves and ripe fruit.

Learn more about the award-winning Washington Square Park Phenology Project.