Photo gallery: Cherry blossoms surround Capitol

Just when you think our state Capitol and the surrounding views couldn’t get any prettier, spring arrives.

And with those warmer sunny days, the new season ushers in the annual beauty of the cherry blossom trees on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City.

Whether the weekend or a weekday, Utahns flock to magnificent scenery for photos with friends, family walks and sometimes just to decompress.

Some found a spot to sit and enjoy the scenery, while many others chose to enjoy a short walk along Memorial Walkway that winds around the Capitol.

According to the Capitol website, the 433 Yoshino cherry trees were originally sent by the Japanese to Utah as a symbol of friendship and reconciliation following World War II. In Japan, blossoming cherry trees, with their rapidly appearing flowers that die within weeks, symbolize the impermanence of life.

Those trees and others at the Capitol, however, were damaged or lost when a tornado struck downtown Salt Lake City in 1999. The current Yoshino cherry trees were planted during the 2004–08 Capitol restoration project.

Deseret News photojournalist Kristin Murphy spent part of her day documenting the people and the perfection of Mother Nature.

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Cynthia Sibal and her daughter Cassandra were misidentified as each other in the photo caption.