Plant life finds a way in NYC's concrete jungle after rainy August
It’s hard to miss how green New York City is these days.
Weeds are creeping through seemingly every crack in the pavement. Entire bushes are sprouting high out of treebeds. Wherever there’s enough dirt for a root to take hold, plants are reaching for the sun.
The city’s lush summer is apparent on Classon Avenue in Brooklyn's Crown Heights, where an 11-foot-tall sunflower has grown out of a sidewalk pit. Its height has captivated nearby residents, including Conal Darcy, who takes credit for planting the flower a year ago.
“It's just kind of a wild seed that stayed over from last year and just kind of kept growing, and now it's apparently gigantic,” said Darcy, who spoke from his vacation in Australia.
Experts and city officials have also noticed the flora boom around town. They say the relentless growth has been helped by increased rainfall during the rainiest August in at least five years. The city’s warming climate is also accelerating the bloom.
Workers in the parks and sanitation departments have stepped up efforts to keep up with the greenery, including some toxic species that have flourished.
Parks officials said that the mix of warm weather, sun and frequent rain has created ideal conditions for plant growth. Mugwort and other invasive weeds have grown more rapidly this season alongside the trees. Parks officials also noted that young trees have shown especially rapid growth this season.
