Tree Walk: London planetrees of Washington Square Village
A frequent walking route takes me through Washington Square Village, one of NYU's faculty housing developments. My absolute favorite parts of Washington Square Village are the trees. I won't showcase them all in this post. This entry is about the London planetrees that lines the westernmost roadway into the village.
There are 23 planetrees: 11 on the east and 12 on the west-side of the roadway. The eastern trees appear smaller in diameter than the ones opposite them. Coincidentally, or not, the eastern trees are growing in an asphalt sidewalk below grade of the Village park/garden/courtyard. In contrast, the trees on the western side of the roadway are larger in diameter and are growing behind a hedge, in a lawn.
One of the identifying features of the London planetree (Platanus x acerifolia) is its bark. The bark exfoliates to reveal a spectrum of colors: yellow-green, gray, brown, dark brown. The coloring resembles a soldier's camouflage. (A sycamore's base color, if you will, tends to be white, not yellow-green.)
At the base of each of the planetrees growing on the east-side of the roadway is a short, metal guard. At the time of installation, the guards may have protected the trees from car doors, but now, there is a fence that could serve this purpose. Also, the trunks are quite close to the filling the interior of the guards. A few of the guards are covered with mesh to prevent their use as trash bins. The only use for the guards at this point seems to be to post "You Are Parked Here Illegally" signs.
Question: On your daily route, have you taken notice of particular trees?