they were all patiently waiting for me

One day, and I knew it would come,the sky was blue, and there was a warm breeze, and the first signs of sprint were all out there waiting.  Just for me!!!  Just for Me!              Now I  know that it wasn't really just for me,but if felt that way.  The long, much too long winter, was loosing it's sway on the drab landscape,  the robins returned weeks ago, i wondered how they survived  in those weeks when snow covered the grounds.  but they did.  Now they seem to be thriving, and looking for nesting material.  when i was in first grade, the teacher had a large vase of pussy willows  on a table in the corner, i had never seen anything like them before.and i was totally entrance by them.  that year we also brought in small branches from various trees and put them in jars of water on the windowsills, where they proceeded to leaf out long before the trees outside did. 

Crocus, came with this house, along with a few rangy tulips. peonies and several varieties of lilac.  they are the bright spots in and always bring a smile to my  winter weary heart.  crocus seem to move around this is not a part of their natural behaviours, it seems that certain mice and rodents find the tiny corms to be a delicacy and  stash them away, then forget where they stashed them. this particular group decided to bloom under the leaves of a century plant.

 

Ferns ,matted by snow that melted only yesterday spill out of a mossy stump, made almost sculptural by limbs that fell during the frequent ice storms .  and beyond them the snowdrops, first flowers of spring mark where someone once had a garden, that has long since gone wild.  later dog tooth violets and a few daffodils will bloom here ,and be covered with falling apple blossoms.

 

Be it the work of man, or the work of animals, snowdrops spread and form thick mats of lush green leaves and tiny blossoms that though they appear delicate, are not.  One of the more endearing qualities of this plant is that it blooms faithfully, even under the snow. 





How long ago the first snowdrops were planted here, I have no idea, certainly it has been more than 50 years.  Escaping the wrath of lawn mowers and modern landscaping they have made a garden of their own in the woodlot.