Equinox: occurs twice a year, when the plane of Earth's equator passes the center of the Sun. At this time the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun. Basically... It's the first day of SPRING!

The day started out dreary.

But I managed to find some sprouts on my way to work!

Then, to my surprise a fire drill forced our office out of the building. It's a tradition (happening twice justifies calling it a tradition right?) to spend our fire drill time in the U.S. Botanic Gardens - so off we went as soon as we safely left the building.

We found the Orchid Symphony exhibit in full bloom. I've been meaning to go, so this was fantastic. Here are some pictures from the exhibit!

If you're in the DC area, you should make your way to the Orchid Symphony at the U.S. Botanic Garden before it ends! It's great way to celebrate the coming of spring (don't even think about that predicted snow next week).

It's also a great warm up for the beloved CHERRY BLOSSOMS!