This afternoon, while wondering city streets looking for a Scarlet Oak to hug in honor of Arbor Day, we snapped this shot of no less than three National Park Service vehicles driven onto the grass of the park on 22nd and P Streets.

Aside from the towering statue of Ukrainian poet, painter, political philosopher and all around bad-ass Taras Shevchenko, there is a scruffy bit of grass in the square. Now we know one reason why the turf has such a hard time. One might suspect Park Service officials to park in one of the many, many open spaces across the street, rather than tearing up the grass, especially because a sign at the park reminds us that even dogs aren’t allowed on the green. Alas, ’twas not the case today.