Walking through Bushnell Park on a dreary afternoon, I spotted the splash of pink from across the lawn. It pulled me into its orbit. Was this guerilla art? I wondered, as whatever it was used a hue typically not part of sanctioned urban decor color schemes.
Nearing the bright tree guard is when I noticed the sign. On the surface, it’s about Mark Twain, but the sign — a collaboration by multiple mainstream establishments — also tells about Hartford life more generally.
It seems there are twelve of these historic markers affixed to the cages protecting trees. On a day when it wasn’t rainy, I went looking for some of the others in the wild.
The one above tells passersby that a publishing company occupied the spot that is now a lifeless surface parking lot. Each sign gives the name of the tree it is beside. The best feature, though, is really the guard itself, which will hopefully give these trees a fighting chance against things like people driving into them, climbing all over them, smacking mowers and snow plows into them.
Where have you seen these appear in Hartford?
If you could pick which trees get special protective cages in Hartford, which would you choose and why?
