Tried With Fire

The temperatures are going to dip again next week, so I wanted to capture the daffodils while they were still in their prime. I was concerned they wouldn't survive the crazy yo-yo weather this winter, but they weathered the storms rather well and put on a quite show for the first day of spring. Enjoy!

It's interesting to see what plants are growing in the garden. Sometimes it's hard to know if it is a weed, volunteer, or intentionally planted by the previous owner. There was a large-leafed vine that I could not identify. I waited to see if it would produce flowers or fruit, but it produced neither. It was beginning to creep over the fence into my neighbor's yard, so it was time to say good-bye to the mystery vine. I still don't know what it is, but at least it wasn't kudzu. Here are a few more surprises: Mystery plant #2. The flowers resemble tiny rosebuds, and the stems are slightly thorny.

Spring is a beautiful time in Virginia with the exception of the pollen. The brownish stuff on the ground and driveway are fallen oak tassles. It was literally raining pollen today, and the driveway is covered with it. I would have taken a closeup of the pollen but it's quite nasty looking. The following is more worthy of a closeup. These are very fragrant narcissus. The blooms are small and delicate. This variety blooms much later than our regular yellow daffodils.