The Nature of the Square newsletterSign up!
Purpleleaf plum flowers in bloom.

Washington Square Park – April 19, 2022

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

A star magnolia flower side view white petals with pink blush at the base.

Washington Square Park – Mar 20, 2022

Last week the showy-flowering magnolias and ornamental cherries began to reveal their petals. The photo above is of a Star Magnolia flower emerged from a terminal bud. Leaves are also housed in the terminal buds of this species. This flower is not open phenologically speaking–the petals are still obscuring the reproductive organs. Outside of their

Photo by Diane Helentjaris via unsplash of Binoculars rest on a bird identification book open to a page on owls.

Washington Square Park – Christmas Bird Count 2021

We are proud to be a Christmas Bird Count site again this year. Join us for a collabirdtive excursion on Sunday, December 19, 3pm ET. Christmas Bird Count Covid-19 Guidance Please do not attend this program if you meet any of the below conditions on the day that it is held, as per CDC guidelines.

Photo by Daiga Ellaby via unsplash of adult and child wearing boots, standing on soil

Washington Square Park – Dec 14, 2021

Last week, we released Part Two of a mini-series about parents who bird on the Your Bird Story podcast. You will hear stories from Jen Kepler (Brooklyn, NYC) and Bryony Angell (Washington state). Bryony describes the episode: “We talk about making the most of the immediate surroundings to bird, opportunistic birding and insistence to the

NYC Parks staff managing the leaf mulch project in Washington Square Park, Nov 2021

Washington Square Park – Nov 30, 2021

Leave the leaves is a rallying cry and campaign to land managers to let nature’s mulch, fallen leaves, do the work of insulating the soil, providing habitat for ground dwelling and feeding animals, and returning nutrients to the soil. In Washington Square Park, leaves that fall on lawns are collected, mechanically clipped, and reallocated throughout