40 CityTREES
Eco Projects monitors biodiversity in Washington
Square Park, so we keep track of plant-animal inter-
actions in the landscape. Birds and squirrels eat the
elm fruit. The list of birds who forage in the English
elm include American goldfinch, blue jay, house
finch, red-tailed hawk, American redstart, northern
parula, black-and-white warbler, downy wood-
pecker, northern flicker, yellow-bellied sapsucker,
tufted titmouse, white-crowned sparrow, brown
creeper, and white-breasted nuthatch. Squirrels reg-
ularly nest and shelter in the English elm's hollows,
but they are not the only ones. On November 13,
2019, I noticed a raccoon using one of the hollows!
English elms (winter hardy to Zone 5a) are known
to be tolerant of air pollution, a wide range of soil
pH and soil textures, some salt spray, and they can
grow in sun or partial shade. The many virtues of the
English elm would make it an excellent urban tree.
However, because of their vulnerability to Dutch elm
disease, they are not practical as new additions to the
urban landscape. This makes the presence of the rare
mature English elms, like the enormous specimen in
Washington Square Park, that much more special.
A look at the whole, massive English elm tree,
which provides cavities and foraging for birds,
squirrels, and at least one raccoon.
Winged seeds of English elm.
