Walk down Avery Avenue in Flushing, Queens, and you’ll eventually hit a spot that feels different. It’s not just the traffic humming toward the Long Island Expressway or the industrial rhythm of the neighborhood. It’s the trees. Specifically, the Avery Ave twin trees. They aren't just some random greenery someone planted ten years ago to satisfy a city zoning requirement. They are survivors.
Honestly, most people driving past are too busy looking for a parking spot or checking their GPS to notice. But for the locals? These trees are a landmark. They stand like sentinels. They’ve seen the neighborhood change from a quiet stretch of Queens into the bustling, chaotic, beautiful hub it is today.
What’s the Deal With the Avery Ave Twin Trees Anyway?
You’ve probably seen "twin trees" in movies or read about them in folklore, usually some ancient oaks in the middle of a misty field. This isn't that. This is Queens. These trees grow right out of the sidewalk, their roots likely wrestling with decades-old pipes and concrete.
What makes them "twins" isn't necessarily a biological quirk where they share a root system—though in the urban canopy world, that's always a possibility—but rather their symmetry. They frame the street. They create a natural archway that feels like a gateway to a different part of the borough.
Urban forestry is a brutal business. Most city trees have a lifespan that would make a fruit fly look like an immortal. Between salt from the winter plows, dogs doing their business, and the sheer lack of soil volume, it’s a miracle anything grows taller than a bush. Yet, these two have thrived. They have reached a height where they actually provide a legitimate canopy, something that's becoming increasingly rare as older growth gets cleared for new glass-and-steel developments.
The Science of Survival in Flushing
Think about the air quality around Avery Ave. It’s near major arteries. You’ve got exhaust. You’ve got heat islands. When you have two trees of the same species planted together, they often face a "double or nothing" fate. If one gets a fungal infection, the other usually follows. If one thrives, they both look like a masterpiece.
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The Avery Ave twin trees managed to beat the odds.
They are likely London Planes or Honey Locusts—the heavy hitters of the NYC Parks Department’s arsenal. London Planes are particularly famous for their "exfoliating" bark. They literally shed their skin to get rid of the pollutants they absorb. It’s a gritty, beautiful adaptation for a gritty, beautiful city. If you look closely at the trunks, you can see the mottled pattern. It’s not just bark; it’s a record of every season they’ve survived in Flushing.
Why People Keep Talking About Them
It’s weird, right? It’s just two trees. But in a city that often feels like it's made entirely of brick and asphalt, these two represent a kind of stubborn persistence.
Social media has a weird obsession with them too. If you dig through local Queens hashtags, you’ll find photographers who wait for that perfect "Golden Hour" when the sun hits Avery Ave just right. The light filters through the leaves of the twin trees and for about five minutes, Flushing looks like a forest.
There's also the community aspect.
Older residents remember when these trees were just saplings. They represent a timeline. You can track the growth of the neighborhood by the girth of those trunks. We live in a world where everything is "disruptive" or "temporary," but these trees are permanent. Or at least, as permanent as anything can be in New York.
The Battle for the Canopy
New York City has a goal to reach 30% canopy cover. We aren't there yet. Not even close. Parts of Queens are "tree deserts," where the temperature can be 10 degrees hotter than a leafy street in Brooklyn Heights just because there’s no shade.
The Avery Ave twin trees aren't just pretty; they are functional. They are cooling the pavement. They are soaking up rainwater that would otherwise flood the local sewers during those crazy summer flash floods we keep getting. When people advocate for the preservation of these specific trees, they aren't just being sentimental. They are fighting for the literal breathability of the block.
Finding the Trees: A Local’s Guide
If you’re heading out to see them, don't expect a park ranger or a gift shop. This is a DIY tour.
- Start at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. You’re already nearby. Take in the Unisphere, then head toward the edges where the residential streets start to bleed into the park zones.
- Timing is everything. Go in late May when the leaves are that neon, "new-growth" green. Or, hit it in October. The way these two turn color in unison is actually pretty wild to see.
- Bring a camera, but watch the traffic. Avery Ave isn't a pedestrian mall. It’s a working street.
Don't just look at the trees. Look at the ground. Look at how the sidewalk has had to bow and flex to accommodate the roots. It’s a constant negotiation between the natural world and the Department of Transportation. Usually, the DOT wins. Here, the trees seem to be holding their own.
The Future of the Avery Ave Twin Trees
Growth isn't always good. As these trees get bigger, their maintenance needs skyrocket. Large limbs overhanging a busy street like Avery Ave require constant pruning. The city’s MillionTreesNYC initiative did a lot of the initial planting, but the long-term "aftercare" is where things usually fall apart.
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There is a real risk. Construction, utility work, or even just a particularly nasty nor'easter could take one out. And once you lose one, you lose the "twin" effect. It just becomes a single tree on a corner.
Community vigilance is basically the only thing that keeps urban landmarks like this alive. Locals keep an eye on them. They report downed limbs. They water them during those 100-degree August stretches when the city feels like an oven.
How to Help Urban Trees Like These
You don't have to be a botanist.
If you live in the area, you can actually become a "Tree Steward." The NYC Parks department offers workshops. You learn how to cultivate the soil at the base, how to plant flowers that don't compete with the tree's nutrients, and how to spot signs of the Asian Longhorned Beetle—a nasty invader that has a history of devouring Queens' best timber.
The Avery Ave twin trees are more than just wood and leaves. They are a testament to the fact that even in the middle of a concrete jungle, nature finds a way to stand tall. They provide shade to the delivery drivers, oxygen to the residents, and a bit of visual peace to anyone willing to look up from their phone for two seconds.
Practical Steps for Visiting and Supporting Local Landmarks
If you want to experience the best of what's left of the Queens canopy, start by mapping out your route. Don't just stick to the main drags.
- Check the NYC Tree Map. It’s a real thing. You can look up the specific ID of the Avery Ave trees, see their species, and even see how much "ecological value" they provide in dollars. It’s a great way to nerd out on the local environment.
- Support the Queens Botanical Garden. They are the spiritual headquarters for everything green in the borough. They do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to education and preservation.
- Advocate for street trees. If your own block looks like a desert, request a tree through the 311 system. It takes forever, but it’s how these landmarks start.
- Take photos and tag them. Visibility matters. When the city sees that a specific pair of trees has a "following," they are much less likely to chop them down during the next round of sidewalk repairs.
The story of the Avery Ave twin trees is still being written, one ring at a time. Go see them before the season changes again. There’s something grounding about standing next to something that’s been in the same spot for decades, quietly doing its job while the rest of the city rushes by.