Photo gallery Spring’s arrival provides reassurance
With the COVID-19 crisis roiling life on campus and all over the world, it’s reassuring to see that spring arrived on Thursday, March 19. This year’s spring equinox arrived early, and it was welcome. Buds are sprouting on tree branches, green plants are poking up from the soil, and the ice on Lake Mendota is breaking up. Take a look.
![Fresh leaves poke from the ground.](https://news.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2020/03/First_Day_Spring20_801-1024x681.jpg)
Photo by: Bryce Richter
Green shoots from a Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomenstosum) plant are pictured at the Botany Garden.![A stormy lake dotted with ice.](https://news.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2020/03/First_Day_Spring20_695-1024x681.jpg)
Photo by: Bryce Richter
The median date that Lake Mendota's ice breaks up is April 4, so it's a bit early this year after a warm winter.![A bud on a tree, with snow in the background.](https://news.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2020/03/First_Day_Spring20_660-1024x681.jpg)
Photo by: Bryce Richter
Early spring buds form on a Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata) tree pictured at the Botany Garden.