A brief history of the beloved cherry tree [Video]

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A beloved tree named Stumpy is one of more than a hundred Japanese cherry trees that crews will remove from the Tidal Basin beginning in May.

When the National Park Service (NPS) announced Stumpy’s removal on Wednesday, people took to social media to express their heartbreak at losing the small, twisted cherry tree.

@UVAHooGirl on X exclaimed “NOOOOOOO NOT STUMPY 😭😭😭,” while @CertainlyNotLizprofessed “I stand with Stumpy #SaveStumpy.”

Another user, @Jeffreys703, simply said “Stumpy has run out of steam! 😥.”

‘Stumpy’ among 140 cherry trees being removed for Potomac River seawall construction in DC

Stumpy first swept social media in 2020 in a Reddit thread under r/washingtondc. Pictured was a sad-looking Stumpy with blossoms budding on a cloudy D.C. day. The caption read: “This tree a little aways from Jefferson memorial is as dead as my love life, but I love it!”

Since then, people have grown attached to the little …