Picture of the day - February 15, 2007

The First Crocus Of The Year

As I was preparing to take Houdini for his morning walk, I took a peek outside and noticed that we had received a skiff of snow overnight, and a quick glance at the outdoor thermometer confirmed what I had been thinking: wintertime is now in full swing! It is quite normal for southwestern Virginia to have 14° temperatures and snow on the ground in mid-February, but what I saw when we walked past one of our flower beds seemed a bit unusual - a single crocus had popped up through the leaves and snow, apparently ready to burst into full bloom! This has certainly been an interesting year weather-wise. Autumn temperatures lasted well into January, and some of our local cherry trees were in bloom right after the first of the year. But we have had some bitterly cold temperatures of late so it's hard to understand why this hardy crocus decided to come up so early. Apparently, mother nature can throw curves as well as fast balls!   "Picture of the Day" archives             Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"