After The Hail

Lots of leaves to pickup. The good news: trees still standing, unlike some recent freak storms lately in New York city. The bad: less leaves to enjoy for fall color. The trees fared better than the tender annuals of the Rose Garden, Lily Pool Plaza and Herb Garden, which were more or less shredded by the hail. But annuals can be replanted next season and I imagine the new herb garden will be even more spectacular in its second year. So life goes on at Brooklyn Botanic. And today, lots of birds. Like these little guys, the Ruby-Crowned Kinglets (Regulus calendula). If my ID is correct, this little bird is migrating through the area now, but some might stay on through the winter. I think Susan identified it yesterday and she knows her birds, so I'll see if she confirms. I did see a red spot on the heads of some of these little birds, which would make them the male of the species. No red spots on these, so they are female, possibly.