brooklyn botanic garden

The weather yesterday was gorgeous and I had the day off. There was no excuse to stay inside.

With this in mind, I schlepped (yes, schlepped - I'm picking up vocabulary from my landlord!) to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden just north of Prospect Park.

From April 4 to May 10, it's "Hanami" at the BBG - cherry blossom viewing season. Since I missed out on the cherry blossom season in DC, I was very excited to go.

Cherry blossoms are a big deal. The BBG website even has a Cherry Watch, where you can track the bloom status of the garden's cherry trees. Unfortunately, most of the trees - including the Cherry Esplanade - weren't in bloom yet. I'll have to go back in a week or two to see how magnificent the Esplanade looks with all the trees decked out.

A selection of photos from my day at the garden:

A mama cardinal! I took this picture with Grandma Trixie in mind.

I like the contrast between the garden's foliage and the city landscape. This particular building is the Brooklyn Museum, which I still need to visit.

The plants in these specially-designed boxes are being tested for use in rooftop gardens.

The Japanese pond, complete with koi and sunning turtles.

My favorite photo of the day. Pretty good for a 3-year-old clunker of a camera which is consistently dropped.

Cherry trees yet to blossom

Part of the garden's mixed perennials, these tulips are so perfect they don't look real!

One last cherry blossom photo for good measure.

That's it for now. It's even brighter and hotter out today, so I'm going to check out Coney Island with Jeremy. Updates and photos to come!