It may be bitter cold this week, but that doesn't mean there isn't still plant life in bloom all over the city. To wit: The city's botanical gardens are in the throes of cherry blossom season (yes, even on a 30-degree day), and both the Brooklyn and New York Botanical Gardens have made it easier to track the progression of the springtime blooms. (h/t Untapped Cities)
In Brooklyn, the BBG has launched its annual Cherry Watch map, which shows where the garden's cherry trees are currently flowering, and at what point in the season they're at. Right now, for example, only a few of the trees around the Japanese Garden currently in peak bloom; expect more of the trees to reach their full potential in the coming weeks. (Especially in time for the garden's Sakura Matsuri festival at the end of the month.)
The NYBG, meanwhile, doesn't have quite as sophisticated a map for its cherry trees; instead, it has a tracker that shows what percentage of its flowers are at their peak. Currently, it's 90 percent, so you should probably make a trip to the Bronx sooner rather than later.
- Fun Maps: Brooklyn Botanic Garden Cherrywatch Tracks Bloom of Cherry Blossoms [Untapped Cities]
- Cherry Blossoms at BBG [Official]
- NYBG Cherry Tracker [Official]