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A Spring in Your Step

Staying in my room,

I thought of the new Spring leaves.

That day was happy.

Amy Lowell, Twenty-Four Hokku on a Modern Theme, from What’s O’Clock

And so the seasons go round and round, and spring comes again.

Swarthmore is an arboretum; more than four thousand distinct plant species call the campus home, many of which are identified and labelled for the convenience of the botanically-minded. The plant life, and, specifically, its seamless integration it is into every nook and cranny of the campus, makes Swarthmore one of the most beautiful colleges in the United States, and there are very few times that can compete with early Spring (though early winter might be my personal favorite).

I recently upgraded my phone for the first time in six years, and the difference in camera quality has been astounding; it’s as if I’ve been taking photos through dirty glass for half a decade. I decided to use this newfound power and document these burgeoning days of spring. I was not the only one with this idea; as I walked, there were probably hundreds of students all around the campus, playing, working, talking, and just doing nothing at all.

Cluster of light purple crocus flowers blooming amidst dry grass in early spring.
Close-up of a white and yellow daffodil blooming outdoors with green stems and leaves around it.
Close-up of a dark purple flower with yellow stamens in natural light and surrounding green leaves.
Close-up of purple and yellow pansy flowers with green leaves and brown fallen leaves on the ground.
Close-up of a vibrant red flower with yellow stamens surrounded by green leaves.

The ground flowers, out in full bloom, the stamens just beginning to unfurl from around the pistils. Little motes of color dotting the ground.

The arboretum maintains most of the popular spots for outdoor recreation and meditation on campus. My personal favorite is the koi pond; located near McCabe library, the paths are lined with paving stones and the benches are trellised so that vines hang down against your face. It is a miniature (the entire thing is probably less that 150 feet on any side) version of Eden, replete with the sounds and smells of nature. The filtration device is a sculpture of a cat tipping a jug off of the ledge (and out of the jug spills the clean water).

A squirrel perched on a branch among dense tree foliage with sunlight filtering through.
A small black and orange beetle resting on dry brown leaves and twigs on the ground.
A bright orange fish swimming near the surface of a pond reflecting green plant foliage.
A robin perched on a metal fence surrounded by dry leaves and branches in a natural outdoor setting.
A bird with a gray head, orange chest, and yellow beak standing on green grass with scattered twigs and small stones.
A small bird perched on a blue bird feeder surrounded by pine tree branches.

These are some of the animals I encountered, most of whom were too skittish to obtain a photo from any closer than twenty feet away. As such, most photos have an “evidence of Bigfoot” sort of vibe. I do feel like the squirrel in the first photo is majestically lit, though.

Close-up of yellow witch hazel flowers blooming on tree branches with dried leaves still attached.
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms and buds on a tree branch against a blue sky.
Close-up of yellow and white spring blossoms on a tree branch with bare branches in the background.
Close-up of light pink cherry blossoms blooming on a tree branch against a blurred background.
Close-up of a blooming deep pink flower with layered petals surrounded by green leaves and white snowdrop flowers in the background.

Flowering trees were tentatively opening up, still afraid of the possibility of a late frost. The cherry border, a walk lined with blooms, smelled like mulch and growing.

Close-up of a patch of grass with new green shoots growing among dry, brown grass on rocky soil.
Close-up of a pine tree branch with long green needles radiating from the center.

New plants shot out from the growths of the old, like toothpicks made of life spurting out of graves.

Close-up of green foliage with clusters of small, pink and white flower buds in early spring.
Close-up of a yellow wildflower blooming among green leaves and soil-covered ground in spring.

We are a busy species. It’s often hard to appreciate how lucky we are to live in such an amazing world, but I like to think that perhaps one leaves Swarthmore more appreciative of nature than when one came. The gardens are like concentrated pockets of the beauty of Spaceship Earth. Millions of years of evolution, thousands of years of cultivation, and hundreds of hours of gardening are packed into every flower, every bed, every tree, every grove.

There is so much beauty on every scale, as things bloom to life. From the small…

Close-up of a dried acorn cap resting on a bed of leaves and twigs.
Close-up of variegated green and cream-colored leaves on a plant in spring.

to the large…

A large evergreen tree stands on a grassy area near a pathway with a building and lamp post in the background under a cloudy sky.
Stone bell tower rising above leafless trees under a cloudy sky in early spring.
Large tree without leaves standing in front of a small building with a dome on top under a clear blue sky.

to the macrocosmic.

Night sky with clouds tinged in red and faint stars visible.
The sky one cold spring night, as auroras descended on Pennsylvania.
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Written by:

Spencer

Spencer Kennedy (he/him, class of 2027) is a math and music major at Swarthmore. Outside of his majors, he is interested in theater, modern art, astronomy, and literature. He is from Gettysburg, PA, roughly two hours away from Swarthmore. Go Garnet!