by Peggy Robin
Spring is the season of rebirth; we glory in the new life that grows from what was, it seems but moments ago, the cold, barren winter soil.
This spring, these words are more than just a generic greeting to the green shoots and pink buds; they apply to some very particular new growth. We can welcome back an old friend. It's Stumpy!
If you remember, it was 2024 when we last saw the forlorn little cherry tree -- being cut down while there was still life in him.
Now, through the miracle of science, he's been cloned, and is coming back in the form of dozens of little saplings, propagated from his genes.
If this were a sci-fi story, of course, the saplings would be imbued with evil, and be part of some plot to do the bidding of the mad scientist who created them....but so far the story seems innocuous enough (at least, as told to the Washington Post in this article last summer).
So we can expect all the little Stumpy-replicas to bloom in quiet glory for many years to come. Although really, these days, who can be sure of anything????
More on the return of Stumpy (well, the cloned Stumpettes) at:
(Reel by Tommy McFly, NBC4Washington)
Here's a look back at Stumpy in his final year:
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| Photo by Peggy Robin |
And here are the Stumpettes at the Arboretum, waiting to be transplanted:
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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays
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