Daffodila

 Every year, we anticipate the arrival of spring with our daffodils. I've recounted the story many times. I placed clumps of bulbs in the meadow just north of the house and I've watched them expand over the years. I remember those early years when there were only a few blooms. This year there are literally dozens.

The end result - this beautiful bouquet

 It all started back on March 11 when we had our first warm day (61°) and I was itching to see whether the daffodils had yet punched above the ground. When I found a few clumps of weeds and leaves lifted above the level, I knew what it meant. I brushed them aside with my hand and this is what I saw ...

March 11

 Now, follow along as the stalks grow, produce buds and finally erupt into full bloom:

March 16 

March 25 

March 31 

April 1 

April 1 - The first bud opens later in the day

April 4 - an explosion of color!

April 4 - we also have a clump or two of whites

 This is the same day as last year when we found the daffodils in luxurious bloom. The bouquet I picked and which Mom placed in a blue vase is the first picture posted today. We'll have a few days - maybe a week if the weather is kind - to enjoy these and then the flowers will die back and the meadow's weeds will again take over. Daffodils, it seems, have no more than a month when they are even visible to us, but a glorious time it is.