Signs of Spring

Crocus buds growing with red thyme.

A few warms rains in mid February brought out the first crocus buds in my front yard. The first crocuses are always a hopeful sign of spring, and over the years mine have been spreading nicely under the cherry tree, in spite of the voles and squirrels that eat the bulbs.

Crocus clumps under the cherry tree.

Species crocuses.

This year a few of the yellow species crocuses actually bloomed--this color seems to be the most frequently eaten by wild creatures, oddly enough.

Below is a drawing of a bunch of radishes in color pencils that I did as a demo for a workshop at the New Day Art Center in Martinsburg, WV a couple of weekends ago. It has nothing to do with spring crocus,  but when I see lovely bunches fresh radishes like these and other produce arriving to our grocery store, it seems like another wonderful sign of spring. At this time of the year when fresh flowers are hard to come by, I rely on my grocery store to find botanical specimens to use in my botanical art classes and workshops.

Bunch of radishes, color pencil drawing, 7"h x 8"w.

Speaking of the New Day Art Center, I'm offering another workshop there on March 28 and 29: "Sharpen Your Drawing Skills." Talking to other artist/instructors I find that drawing is the skill most of our students are weakest in. Drawing directly from life is a challenge, but one of the most useful skills in an artist's toolbox.

Portends of Spring

Forcing Crocuses Indoors.

Recently the famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil, came out of his burrow at sunrise and "didn't see his shadow" (huh? It was sunny in Virginia, one state away), portending that winter is about over. Considering the low temperatures were in the single digits all last week, I'm a bit skeptical about that, although in the afternoon temperatures rose to the upper forties and snow was melting.

But I can't deny that this morning as I was waking up, I heard a cardinal's call--it was 21 degrees outside. The cardinals are getting ready to nest--nothing unusual about that, cardinals normally nest about this time of the year and their eggs hatch some three weeks later.

Narcissus shoots emerging.

Better indicators of impending spring may be some of the plants in my yard: I noticed that the buds on my flowering quince were beginning to swell, and that the witch-hazels were in bloom.

Witch-hazel flowers (Hamamelis virginiana)