Spring takes its own sweet time

Nature seems to be taking a halting approach this year to unfurling the highly anticipated and deeply appreciated splendor of late spring — which makes even the slightest glimmer all the more glorious. Here is some of what University Communications director of photography Jeff Miller saw on a recent quest for seasonal scenery.

A person wearing sunglasses reclining on her back on a blanket while looking at her phone

Taking what she called a “brain break before final exams,” first-year student Olivia Hill of Appleton, Wis., relaxes on a blanket spread out on Bascom Hill on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Closeup of pink flowers on a tree with bell tower in background

Blossoming fuchsia flowers of a magnolia tree near the Carillon Tower on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

A small black bird with red and yellow epaulets flying away from a snag

A red-winged blackbird takes flight from a perch atop a decaying tree in a marshy area near University Bay and the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

A woman walking a dog on a leash along an outdoor nature trail

Amber Bianco, a vet tech with the School of Veterinary Medicine, walks her German Shepherd, Axl, past willow trees lining a path near University Bay and the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Two people standing on a footbridge with red failings

Undergraduates Lauren Belz, left, and Maggie Afshar pause on a bridge overlooking the pond garden at Allen Centennial Garden on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Closeup of in-focus tree branches with food carts and customers in soft focus in the background

Flowering crabapple trees frame a view of food-cart vendors at the intersection of State Street Mall and Library Mall on May 4. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Two men jogging down a path past still-brown vegetation

A pair of runners jog along a path near University Bay and the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

A shrub with yellow flowers in the foreground; a hard-scaped plaza and two buildings beyond in soft focus

A brilliant yellow forsythia shrub graces the Education Building plaza on May 5, with Helen C. White Hall, left, and Science Hall just beyond. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Red and yellow tulips blossom in a flower bed

Tulips decorate a traffic circle at the intersection of Walnut Street and Observatory Drive on the west end of campus on May 5. Photo by: Jeff Miller

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Photo gallery Spring takes its own sweet time