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A campus to fall for

Take in autumn at UW–Madison, where Badgers welcome brisk days and burnished views.

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Photos by Althea Dotzour, Finnegan Ricco, Jake Piper, Jeff Miller and Taylor Wolfram. Video by Amy Gill and Mallory Schaefer. Words by Angela Barian.

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As we take in the season, sunlight warms familiar campus buildings, branching shadows stretch across their walls, and a canopy of gold brightens the streets.

A couple of students relax on Bascom Hill, with State Street in the distance.
A pedestrian enters Bascom Hall on an autumn evening at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on Oct. 7, 2026.
A tree casts its shadow across a building as a passerby walks by.
The Wisconsin State Capitol is pictured in the distance as fall foliage lines a view of Library Mall viewed from Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

As any Badger knows, our campus has a wild side. Click through to meet a few of the locals.

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Two sandhill cranes frolic near Rennebohm Hall and the Nielsen Tennis Stadium during an autumn evening as pedestrians walk by in the background.
Sandhill cranes frolic near Rennebohm Hall and the Nielsen Tennis Stadium during an autumn evening. Photo: Taylor Wolfram / UW–Madison
A plastic owl decoy appears to watch over the Botany Gardens at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
An owl decoy appears to watch over the Botany Gardens at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Photo: Jeff Miller / UW–Madison
A shed wild turkey feather lies on a bed of fallen tree leaves at the Eagle Heights Community Gardens.
A shed wild turkey feather lies on a bed of fallen tree leaves at the Eagle Heights Community Gardens. Photo: Jeff Miller / UW–Madison
Koi fish swim in a pond dotted with lily pads and fallen leaves at the Botany Gardens at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Koi fish swim in a pond dotted with lily pads and fallen leaves at the Botany Gardens. Photo: Jeff Miller / UW–Madison

The weather is cool, but the colors are warm. And so is the company. Across walkways, bike paths and gathering spaces, Badgers find their fall rhythm, studying, playing, catching up and taking it all in.

A person rides a blue bicyle across a bridge over Willow Creek along the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path by the University Bay during an autumn evening with fall-colored foliage in the background.
Two women using binoculars and a camera watch for birds and other wildlife while standing amongst the planted garden plots at the Eagle Heights Community Gardens on the far west side of campus.
Five first-year undergraduates toss leaves into the air on a warm autumn afternoon amongst fall colors.
Three first-year undergraduate students (clockwise from bottom left) Lydia Wagner, Paige Johnson, and Georgia Locher engage in creating artwork using watercolor paints and drawing materials while sitting on the green grass on Bascom Hill in front of the Bascom Hall building.
A group of students and other community members enjoy an warm afternoon sitting at tables at the Memorial Union Terrace among fall foliage and late-afternoon sunshine.
A group of six students participate in a game of volleyball on a sand court outside of Witte Residence Hall. The photo shows three of the students touching the ball at the top of the volleyball net with a large orange-colored tree in the background.
A man and women wear red shirts and gray shorts walk along the concrete pathway of the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path with fall foliage showing in the background.
Three people walk along the crushed gravel pathway to Picnic Point as directional signs in the foreground point out the way and distances to waypoints along the interconnect pathways of the trail system in the area.

Autumn drapes campus in a patchwork of russet, amber and Badger Red. Color climbs the trees, frames familiar landmarks and glows against the sky.

Fall foliage is reflected and slightly distorted in the water in Willow Creek by the University Bay of Lake Mendota during an autumn evening.
The trunk of a large maple tree spreads out from the bottom center of the frame to the top left and right, while red leaves from a vine cover the surface of the tree bark.
Dried, split seed pods of a milkweed plant release silky, white-tufted seeds into the autumn air.
The leaves of a Ginkgo biloba tree are set against a clear blue sky background as a beam of sunlight peaks through the leaves.
A statue of a Civil War soldier in front of the Camp Randall archway is framed by a selection of red-colored fall foliage from the surrounding plants.

Tags: campus, recent sightings, student life

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