The Weeping Willows of Riverside Park South

Weeping Willow

This past May a new stretch of parkland along New York City’s Hudson River was completed. Rustling tall grasses, a winding wooden boardwalk, slant-back chairs, and an abundance of Weeping Willows make Riverside Park South a serene destination. One feature of this park is rare for the city: a section of tiered steps at the water’s edge allow you to sit at water level.

The majority of the Weeping Willows (Salix babylonica) are young; many years will pass before these fast-growing trees reach their full height of 30 to 40 feet. I imagine that someone at the Park’s department must have weighed in on the invasive capacity of these trees. Not only can one tree drop half a million seeds a year, the easily broken twigs can root in the ground where they fall.

That said the enveloping canopy of shade created by a full-grown Weeping Willow is exceptionally lush. This past August I sat under one at a Lower East Side community garden. The drooping branches curtained me from the heat like a gigantic beach umbrella.

For more information on the park and the dedicated volunteers who fought to preserve the land for public use go to the NYC Parks and Recreation site.

Tags: invasive species, Riverside Park South, Salix babylonica, shade trees, Weeping Willow, Weeping Willows, West side park in the 60s