Parks, Gardens & The Zoo

One of the many unsettling details following weeks of Katrina flooding was how normally verdant New Orleans had turned to shades of gray and brown. The vegetation had drowned. Regular rainfall is restoring New Orleans's lushness, but parks and gardens all took a beating from high winds, from battered plants to fallen trees. There is something particularly painful about the loss of the latter, especially centuries-old oaks. With enough funds and TLC, all but the most badly damaged buildings can be repaired, but a massive old oak cannot be replaced in our lifetime. Look for most of the following to be perhaps a bit less substantial, foliage-wise, than they might have been in previous years, though with some nurturing, they should all come back.