SALT LAKE CITY — Since the thermometer is unreliable, a surefire sign that spring has arrived in Utah is the blooming of the cherry blossoms that surround the State Capitol in Salt Lake City.
The "pop of pink" first appeared about a week ago and can currently be found on the 433 cherry blossom trees planted along the nearly-mile-long walkway outside the majestic Capitol building.
Check out the incredible beauty of the Utah State Capitol cherry blossoms in the video below:
Last weekend's short blast of warm temperatures helped give a bloomin' boost to the trees.
"We saw blooms at about the time we normally do, but the process of blooming happened a lot faster than typical," said Alexis Koontz with the Capitol Preservation Board.
In just a few days since the cherry blossoms made their first appearance, crowds have flocked to catch them in all their glory.
"We have lots of people coming for picnics, walking around, doing their exercise, a lot of photo shoots, things like that," Koontz said.
The current army of cherry blossom trees were planted in 2008 after being cultivated in Portland, Oregon specifically for the capitol grounds. They're maintained by the facilities department and replaced as needed, but mostly need just pruning and watering for upkeep.
According to Koontz, the blossoms will last for about another two weeks depending on the weather.
