March 27, 2010

The Time Of Crocuses.

This past week marked the true beginning of the reign of Spring in southern Scandinavia. With temperatures in the late 50's, nature visibly turns green and the first flowers are at last in bloom.

Today was a sunny but chilly day, in contrast to a warm and very rainy night. As I did the first gardening of the season, I marveled over the progress that is so visible in my small garden. All the bulbs I planted in October are sprouting. Some are just barely pushing through the dirt, such as tulips, while hyacinths and daffodils display fresh and green stalks.

The only flowers in bloom are crocuses.
I simply love this first real flower of the spring. So resilient, yet so fragile, it appears so enchanted, as it pushes through the remains of the last snow already in early February. Clearly able to withstand frost and growing through ice, it is a miracle of nature in my eyes. At all times a sign of life, it is a consolation when spring is still very elusive and sun barely present. And then, when the sun returns with the vernal equinox, it displays beautiful crowns that turn toward the first sunshine, bursting with yellow, blue, purple or white, so symbolic of renewal and joy of new beginnings.

Today, when I uncovered the last sprouting bulbs, by removing old autumns leaves and protective bark - I found a butterfly.
It looked tired and fragile, fluttering its wings, drinking the warmth of the spring sun. I could easily pick it up and relished close up in its beauty. A rare moment in time, so unreal in the height of summer when this gentle being will never stand still long enough to admire. Within minutes, as the butterfly absorbed enough heat from my hand, it lifted its wings and gained altitude, drifting away from my view on a gentle spring breeze...

And so it begins, the best time of the year is here.

30 comments:

A Bit of the Blarney said...

Oh my goodness!!! How truly beautiful!!! I'm speechless!!Cathy

Sandy said...

I'm soaking in the beauty of your flower collage! What a beautiful sight for my winter weary eyes. What do you have planned for this weekend? Hubby and I (now that we are retired) like to do our running around during the week and our stay at home time on the weekends. Of course that's not to say we still don't get out on the weekends. I'm wearing my hand warmers as I type this - it's only 68 degrees in the house and my hands are cold. Have a great weekend Zuzana!

Hugs,
Teacup Lane (Sandy)

Nessa said...

What a wonderful interlude. I felt like I was there with you. Thanks for bringing us along.

sprinkles said...

It's hard to believe after the rough winter that you endured that your flowers are already popping up. Our winter was relatively mild and I'm just seeing hints of plants starting to pop up - just enough to tease! The weather has been awful here since spring started. It snowed twice this past week and hailed one day. Supposed to be up to 70 degrees tomorrow. It's chilly this morning so I hope it really does warm up!

I got some seeds yesterday for vegetables and flowers. I'm thinking maybe tomorrow or Monday that I'll plant some of them!

You should become a contributor to "and then i couldn't breathe!" I would love to read about your dreams! There's information on the blog about how to join. You can post as often or as little as you like.

sprinkles said...

Forgot to say - I can't believe that butterfly stayed on your had long enough for you to take a picture! :)

I love butterflies and have one tattooed on my lower back!

Have a wonderful weekend, Zuzana!

A Friendly Stranger said...

Beautiful!!! the first thing to strike my mind is how lucky you are to be living in such a beautiful part of the world.... Or, is it your amazing photography;)
Any which way, I truly enjoyed your writing as well as your pictures... especially the butterfly, they are such delicate, fragile and beautiful creatures... I love to watch them fluttering around...:)

Nice piece...:)

Cheers
Seema

Roger Gauthier said...

Beautiful, you're lucky. Here the best time of the year is still partly under snow

Brian Miller said...

yay. lovely pics....startd off cold today but quickly warming up. head out to enjoy by taking hte boys to the farm to see the new chicks...have a great weekend!

Margie said...

Zuzana, you found a butterfly!
How wonderful!
Your words on finding the butterfly were so touching!
And I loved the picture of the butterfly sitting in your hand.

Your crouces are so lovely!
Thank you for sharing the lovely collage.
I had a few that were peeking out but alas, they are all covered with snow today as we got a snow storm last night.
But it's ok as I know spring will grace us very soon with her awakening beauty!

Have a great day!
Thank you for the lovely post!
I loved it all!

Margie :)
xo

Rustique Gal said...

Zuzana, What a lovely post. Your pictures are so pretty! You are right about the resiliency of the Crocus. They are so bright and pretty when we need bright and pretty! My first flowers here are a couple of "volunteer" pansies. They popped out of the snowbank already in bud! It's cold today, but I've been enjoying the sunshine-cleaning out the porch, going to the dump with lots of trash!
Have a great weekend!
Sherry

Anonymous said...

Magical!!! I'm so glad that you are enjoying it, Zuzana!
Hugs,
Zuzu

Anonymous said...

Your flowers are gorgeous! I really like the purple tulips. They always make me think of the flavor of grape juice. The butterfly encounter was amazing...very rare indeed. As Zuzu said, magical & that is the perfect word to describe it.
It is also sunny here today, but quite chilly. Enjoy your weekend, Zuzana : )

Unknown said...

your flowers are beautiful! not much is sprouting up here yet. and my yard this year is nothing but dirt! I have to start all over......... I have no idea what to do with my yard either. should be an adventure.

Donna said...

Beautiful post, Zuzana. I love the photos.

Hugs,
Donna

Anonymous said...

Wow, you have a Springtime post here. The colors are gorgeous! And your one moment in time butterfly touch...speechless! Thanks for sharing the beauty of your Scandinavia Spring!
:) The Bach

Lynda Howells said...

l love these photographs.thanks for cheering up my dayxxfirst time l have visied your site..l will be backxxlynda

Cheryl Kohan said...

What an amazing photo of the butterfly! That must have been so thrilling for you. And the flowers are gorgeous...even more so because they're the first of the year. A lovely post, Zuzana

Anonymous said...

The flowers look fabulous. Very happy for you that you are getting some well deserved sunshine.

I feel that I am now going to visit all these blogs who are all happy for the sun and now we are fast approaching the horrible HOT season!

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

Love the flower pictures. I wish I could garden...it takes all my time just keeping my considerable grass (weeds!) cut. C

steviewren said...

Your crocuses are vibrant and beautiful. I am always attracted to a purple and yellow color combination in nature. I'm amazed that you were able to hold the butterfly.

I took 2 of my granddaughters to our local Japanese Gardens yesterday. It was beautiful. The cherry trees and red bud trees were in full bloom. There was a constant breeze. The sun was shining. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

Mike Minzes said...

Beautiful! I as so glad spring has finally come!

Sumandebray said...

Good to see the colors returning to your garden. And that butterfly ..... felt like standing straight and salute mother nature for being able to create such beautiful creature!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

What an extraordinary moment! Butterfly wings brushing your hand...I am delighted with this image...I will hang onto it for the remainder of the day...And this photos of crocuses are simply exquisite! What a find your blog is! I truly love it! ~Janine XO

Cat in the road said...

A collage contrived of crocuses conceiving a cornucopia of color. Spring has sprung.

Hilary said...

Zuzana, this is a lovely post. I have the grand total of one purple crocus in bloom. I think I need to plant some more this fall. Daffodils, tulips and irises will be better but my crocus are few and far between. The butterfly is a beautiful spring gift to you. What a moment to treasure and share as you have.

Vagabonde said...

You posted a lovely collage – the flowers are so vibrant. It is an optimistic sign that Spring is here.

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

What a lovely post! Amazing that just a short while ago you were in the midst of an artic winter!!! Spring seems so joyful after the bleakness of a long winter. I will be even happier when the chill leaves the air. Hope you have a wonderful week! V.

S. Susan Deborah said...

Zuzana:

Guess you should initiate a "crocuses" welcome ritual to celebrate the first face of Lady spring.

It's a delight to stop here and take in the beauty of the pictures and words and imagine about far-away lands as yours!

Wondering about the metamorphosis of the weather and your pictures, it sure is lovely to see everything in view.

Zuzana, do you have any ritual where you welcome the spring?

Joy always,
Susan

Zuzana said...

Cathy, Sandy, Nessa, sprinkles, seema, Roger, Brian, Margie, Sherry, Zuzu, LadyCat, Doreen, Donna, The Bach, Lynda, Cheryl, Eternally…, C, Stevie, Realliveman, Sumandebray, Janine, Scribe816, Hilary, Vagabonde, V and Susan – I am so happy to have been able to share with you pictures of my favourite flower. I love the fact that it thrives best in full sunshine, however it can withstand the harsh conditions of late winter frost.

The butterfly encounter was almost like a wonderful sign and a moment to treasure forever.

Thank you so much for your always kind words, I am so thrilled you enjoyed this post and all the pictures as well.

Xoxo
Zuzana

Claus said...

Beautiful flowers Zuzana!! The colors are so bright and vibrant...simply gorgeous. I'm glad some sun and color is finally with you, as it certainly brings joy and a completely different flavor to life. It looks as it must have been a great day in the garden.
May the best Spring begin for you my friend!
*hugs*