What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I saw my first Daffodil opening in the sunshine following a hard, early morning frost. Today, snow hit. Heavy rain ensued. Early season flowers certainly need some resilience.
The sight of the year’s first Daffodil was an uplifting experience. There is something particularly special about these bright yellow, springtime flowers. Despite the grim daily COVID-19 news, Nature continues to roll out the seasons. Sunny Daffodils cannot fail to bring a smile to the face.
Winter returned overnight. Today’s snow brought children out to make snowmen and go sledging. Some welcome excitement was in the air.
My first Daffodil means that spring is coming back for sure. There’s light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. What better reassurance than the Daffodil?
Editor’s Notes
The earliest flowering Daffodil is Narcissus ‘Rijnvelds Early Sensation’. It is regularly found flowering in January and stands up robustly to the worst of winter’s weather.
It seems that I am not the only one who associates the appearance of yellow flowers with joy. I discovered this week that researchers analysed the reactions of 6625 participants from 55 countries. The yellow-joy association was stronger in rainier countries further from the Equator (like Britain!). It is not specifically related to one season like spring. Yellow brings joy across the seasons. Yellow makes us think of sunshine and good weather when skies are grey.
References and Further Reading
Jonauskaite, Domicele et al. (2019): The sun is no fun without rain: Physical environments affect how we feel about yellow across 55 countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology. Volume 66, December 2019. 101350. Science Direct.
Copyright Note
Karen does not seek or receive any commercial interest or advantage from this blog. She is not promoting any business venture. She simply loves to share fascinating facts about plants. These pages illustrate her love of plants, botany, biodiversity, gardens and creative expression. There is always so much to learn about plant diversity. This blog is designed as a showcase for photography, commentary on plants and wildlife, gardens and other places visited, horticulture and related topics. Viewpoints are her own, not those of her employer.
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