Migration of the palm trees

June 5, 2009 – 10:32 am

By Petya Kirkova

All fellow New Yorkers can probably agree with me that spring barely makes it to Manhattan. Not only the temperatures fluctuate tremendously, but living in a metropolis makes it harder to identify the natural signs of spring.

In the country, the season between winter and summer is recognizable by blooming flowers and migrating birds, but here flowers are planted overnight in front of the Rockefeller center. As for birds returning for the warmer weather, I am sure pigeons don’t count.

New York is a surprising and unusual city. So is the indication of spring – palm trees. Once the temperature starts rising, they begin their migration. One such relocation event even made it to the Times. Number 15 is a palm tree which spends the winter in Florida and the rest of the year in Flatiron. Who knew that a trendy lounge in an even trendier high rise building offers its plants a paid for vacation, but apparently it’s cheaper to send the trees south than to purchase them again the following year. Renting a space for the trees, where they can spend the winter, instead of buying new ones each year proves to be the craze here.

Rather odd is the migration we have in our concrete jungle; however, it still fulfills the purpose. If you can’t tell when spring is coming, look for the palm trees. When they start popping up on the sidewalks, waiting to be planted in a rooftop garden in your neighborhood, chances are they are coming back because the winter is over.