At 7:44 a.m. the vernal equinox heralded in the first day of spring. It didn't feel like it, but at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden signs of spring were everywhere.

Uli Lorimer, the curator of the native flora collection at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, hacked down his Charlie Brown Christmas-like Eastern Hemlock Friday in preparation for the spring planting season.

One of the oldest trees in the garden was sprouting leaves that looked like brown flippers, which were already starting to expand, and beneath it was a bed of purple wing-like crocus in bloom. Those flowers have been in the garden for decades and are a sure sign that spring has sprung.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Japanese Hanami Cherry Blossom viewing season begins April 4th, but the crocus and daffodils are already on display.