Looking towards First Daffodils 2009

Thanks for visiting the First Daffodils blog in 2008. A special thanks, also, to all of the photographers who permitted us to use their daffodil photographs on these pages. Most of all, a round of applause to the daffodils around the world, "who" gave us so much joy as we watched spring arrive.

Now that the daffodils in the Northern Hemisphere have had their time in the sun (and the snow), we'll have to find other occupations to fill our time until the daffodils come out next spring.

We will post some additional photos from 2008 sometime this summer. Then we'll take a break until January 2o09. Thanks again for stopping by, and see you next year.

In Love With Daffodils in Litchfield, Connecticut

Day Dreaming photo used with permission, courtesy of tmalinski

The spectacular daffodil images just keep on coming. We contacted the photographer, Tom Malinski of the Canton Camera Club, curious about the story behind this photo, and here is what he reports:

This image was taken at the Laurel Ridge Foundation in Litchfield, Connecticut - better known as the Daffodil fields in Northfield. My wife and I visit this place with many of our camera club friends every year. Depending on the weather, the scenic fields with the pond in the background can have many different moods. This photo of a couple sitting in the middle of the flowers holding hands and daydreaming was very touching.

This image was taken on May 4, 2008.

Lochmaddy daffodils

Lochmaddy daffodils photo used with permission, courtesy of scotproof

Another beautiful "daffodils and water" photo from Scotland, courtesy of scotproof. This pretty image was taken on May 2 at Lochmaddy (in Scottish Gaelic, "Loch of the dogs") in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

Daffodils at Butchart Gardens, British Columbia

photo used with permission, courtesy of Mike Organ

We've just discovered more beautiful gardens, Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This image was taken on April 27, 2008.

Lake District daffodils - not at night

spring photo used with permission, courtesy of (not a) token gesture

We really like this photo, which looks like it was taken at night. It was actually taken at 10 AM o 2003. It's in Wordsworth territory, in the Lake District, in Grasmere. We have had only one Lake District photo this year, so we vote to include this one.

Daffodils Window in Zurich, Switzerland

open to daffodils photo used with permission, courtesy of maryam momeni

Very nice! This is one of the most artistic Daffodil Windows we've seen in 2008. The stunning architecture is enhanced by the daffodils arrangement, and we can't take our eyes off this photograph.

Photo taken by photographer maryam momeni on April 6, 2008 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Early Daffodils in Lincolnshire, England

Springtime photo used with permission, courtesy of daveblyth1

Pretty daffodils image taken April 19, 2008. Lots of pretty English countryside in daveblyth1's photostream here.

Daffodils and Manor House in Warwick, UK

Baddesley Clinton photo used with permission, courtesy of Nala Rewop

Photographer Nala Rewop has posted this Baddesley Clinton photo which seems bathed in an historic light. As he notes, "This atmospheric house dates from the 15th century and has changed little since 1634."

We've always wanted to live in a moated manor house.

Image taken on March 30, 2008. The daffodils add a springtime radiance to the composition, which is why we think this photo positively "rocks" (or should we say, "moats").

Spring River at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Spring River photo used with permission, courtesy of slipgrove (Dr. Julia Targ)

Here is another sweet, beautiful image of Chicago Botanic Garden daffodils, taken on May 2, 2008 by Dr. Julia Targ.

Click here for information about the Chicago Botanic Garden, and if you are into daffodils, start planning your visit there in April 2009, when the American Daffodil Society holds its annual convention hosted by the Chicago Botanic Garden.

For some of the best botanic garden photos we've seen, check out Dr. Julia Targ's flickr photostream of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Spring 2008.

Last snow photo for 2008

Snowman photo used with permission, courtesy of Fe em Brasil.
This snowman lived just outside the town of Watford in the South of England, until the sun came out one day. Thanks to Fe em Brasil for an imaginative shot.

The image was taken on April 6, 2008.

Pretty Daffodils in Glasgow, Scotland

daf odils photo used with permission, courtesy of emmar

Now we know what "pretty as a picture" means. This very pretty image was taken on April 20, 2008, in Queen's Park, Glasgow, Scotland.

For a high resolution image, click here.

Daffodils on Laidlehope Burn, Scotland

Laidlehope Burn photo used with permission, courtesy of cessna152towser

Daffodils in wild country always get our attention. We love brooks and daffodils, and we totally love this photograph. The photographer, cessna152towser, tells us the photo was taken in Scotland within a few miles of the English border.

Question: is it "not wild" if it is a man-made earthwork, even if it dates back to 1860? Click here for more history about Laidlehope Burn.

We exchanged emails about the wild daffodils, and cessna152tower has this to add: "There are quite a lot of daffodils along the road verges in this area but I wonder how many are truly wild - along the old country roads, bulbs were often planted by farmers and on modern roads they are often planted as part of the landscaping works."

This image was taken on April 30, 2008.

Daffodils in Lincolnshire, UK

Daffodils photo used with permission, courtesy of Aleeka Salaam

This dreamy photo was taken by Aleeka Salaam on March 29, 2008, at Belton House in Lincolnshire, UK. Belton House is a National Trust building with expansive park grounds.

This photograph, with its painting-like texture, would be very much at home in a national art museum. A shout-out to Vanessa Ho for the texture, says Aleeka.

Black, White, and Yellow in Kew Gardens, London

., originally uploaded by mariae baltica.

Not much yellow in this photo except in our imaginations. Good enough! This supports the idea that black and white photographs can be quite compelling even in Springtime. Image taken at Kew Gardens in London on April 17, 2008.

First Daffodils and Birch at Chicago Botanic Garden

Passage through Birch, originally uploaded by slipgrove.
Photo credit: Dr. Julia Targ

This photograph is one of many beautiful images taken this season at the Chicago Botanic Garden by Dr. Julia Targ. We love the combination of "new" birch and daffodils, grey and yellow. Photo was taken on April 25, 2008.

Daffodils and Forsythia in Twin Lakes, Connecticut

April 29th, 2008 - 89:366, originally uploaded by allisonac.

We love the wild look of this photo, with a bit of organizing provided by the rock border. We agree with the photographer, allisonac, that this is a stunning image. Photo was taken on April 29, 2008, near Twin Lakes, Connecticut.

Daffodils in Yaletown, Vancouver

give her the nod, originally uploaded by leftantler.
We love this Vancouver photo. It is artistically a home run, combining daffodils and an urban landscape into an image as pleasing as daffodil meadows and daffodil hills. Image taken on April 17, 2008, in George Wainborn Park.

Daffodil and Butterfly in Waverly, Ohio

Butterfly In Camo, originally uploaded by glenda.suebee.

This delightful image was taken on April 19, 2008, in the photographer's garden in Waverly, Ohio. The camo is pretty cool.

Pretty Daffodils in Aberdeen, Scotland

Long and winding road, originally uploaded by swishphotos.

We admire this photo taken in Aberdeen, Scotland, on April 29, 2008. Lucky lawnmower.

Snowy Daffodils in Burnaby Mountain Park, BC

Fence, Road and Tree, originally uploaded by justb.

We always say this is likely our last snowy daffodils photo of the season. This wintry and lovely image was taken in Burnaby Mountain Park, BC, on April 19, 2008.

Back to the Daffodil Future -- er Past

daffodils from the air, originally uploaded by artistgal.

We came upon this nifty April 18, 2002 photo of Skagit Valley "from the air", and even though it is not a 2008 image, we'll share it here. It probably looks pretty much the same this year (smile).

They Look Pretty in White in Dublin, Ireland

We don't tend to post "just daffodils" here, because there are so many beautiful photos published of "just daffodils". We prefer a landscape and other interesting things going on in the photograph. Sometimes we make an exception when a photograph is too breathtaking to leave out. Steve-h took this beauty on April 13, 2008, in Bushy Park, Dublin, Ireland.

Must-watch Daffodils at The New York Botanical Garden

Thumbnail image from video. Click here to watch.

We chanced upon two treasures just now:
1. A gifted writer, artist, and garden blogger called The Occasional Gardener, full of lush energy and imagery, a treasure trove of art and imagination woven into our modern experience. This is a blog we'll want to return to again and again. In fact, we're going to grab the RSS feed to bring the blog onto our desktop.
2. A video of the daffodils taken recently at The New York Botanical Garden.

A big thanks to The Occasional Gardener for his blog and posting the video of the daffodils.

First Line of Daffodils in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Marching in a line, originally uploaded by baklein62.

University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum has daffodils coming up in the Main Valley, and when all are in bloom, the official count will be a half-mile long line of 20,000.

Here's another image by baklein62 from the same series.

These images were taken on April 25, 2008.

You can learn more about this dynamic art project at the Imagine/Align website. Be sure to watch the video showing the planting of this daffodils line at the start of the project.

First Daffodils at Chicago Botanic Garden

Bird Island (speckled with Daffs), originally uploaded by The County Clerk.

Looks like Spring has arrived in Chicago. It's a beautiful thing. This photo was taken on April 26, 2008, at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Click here for the original high-resolution photo where you can readily see the daffodils on Bird Island in the distance.

First Ladybug in Skagit Valley, Washington

One of our favorite photos of the season. The ladybug looks "real" on the screen, complete with sheen. This close-up was taken in Skagit Valley on April 12, 2008, by photographer BratoDB.

Fountain Daffodils on Mainau Island, Germany

Wonderful! We've never seen anything quite like this fountain on Mainau Island in Germany.

We want to find an 80-degree day and sit half-way up the stairs. Fountain image was taken on March 22, 2008 by photographer the aliens.

Blaise Daffodils in Bristol UK

People in glass houses., originally uploaded by *Hairbear.

This innovative photograph was taken on April 4, 2008, at the Blaise Castle Estate in Bristol UK.

Afternoon reflections in Gig Harbor, Washington

Afternoon reflections, originally uploaded by 1bluecanoe.

This cheerful image was taken in Gig Harbor, Washington, on April 2, 2008. You can see more of 1bluecanoe's images on Darckr, a nifty Flickr viewer.

First Reflections in Essex, England

Reflections in a mirrored candlebox, originally uploaded by Lubybel.

We've never seen a photograph quite as captivating and wrote to the photographer inquiring about the image. Here are the interesting details Lubybel shares with us (image taken on April 2, 2008):

The daffodils were picked that morning from my own garden in Essex England and placed in a vase on a coffee table. I was sitting by the fireplace when I spotted the reflection in a mirrored candlebox placed on the mantelpiece. My canon G9 refused to take the shot on automatic focus so I selected manual. The bevel edged candlebox measures 1inch deep by 3 inches wide. The cultivar name of the daffodils being 'Early Flame'.

Daffodils on Loch Carron, Scotland

Yellow is a popular colour this season!, originally uploaded by fastbird61.

Another calm daffodils and H20 photograph with a boat bonus - we could stare at this photo all day. Image taken on April 23, 2008 on the shores of Loch Carron, Scotland.

New Daffodils in Lisse, The Netherlands

Coming soon..., originally uploaded by driek.

This photo, taken in Lisse on April 12, 2008, could also be named "Great Expectations".

Things Go Better With Daffodils in Purchase, New York

The Perfect Spot, originally uploaded by floralgal.

Yes, we know, it's Coca-Cola's slogan, but it works so well with this beautiful April 19, 2008 image. With corporate landscapes like this, we would think Pepsi is #1.

First Daffodils in North Yorkshire, UK

12447 - Helmsley, originally uploaded by M R Fletcher.

It's difficult to pass up a "daffodils and water" photograph. Here's a case in point. This image was taken on April 19, 2008.

First Daffodils in Charlestown, Rhode Island

Fun windchimes in April, originally uploaded by melisdramatic.

Writing this blog has many of its own rewards, such as discovering a place called The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, located on a small farm in Charlestown, Rhode Island. This whimsical image was taken on April 19, 2008.

More Skagit Daffodils

Skagit Daffodils, originally uploaded by wendyb1214.

We haven't posted a Skagit image for awhile, though we see breathtaking photographs routinely. This breathtaking photograph was taken on April 18, 2008, proving that the daffodils still rule in the middle of the Tulip Festival.

Click here for a high-resolution image.

First Daffodils in Bolingbrook, Illinois

Springtime Fighting, originally uploaded by chorwedel.

We love the choreography in this image of "Two daffodils fighting for spring to arrive" (photographer's description). These Midwesterners live in Chad's yard in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

The image was taken on March 22, 2008, and we figured things have changed a lot in the past month. So we wrote to the photographer to see whazzup with the snow and the blooms. Chad reports: "The snow is all melted and the daffodils are in full bloom. Looks like one poor guy didn't make it with a bloom, but all of the rest are doing just fine."

Oh Noooooooo! in Northern New Mexico

Smiling Throughout -, originally uploaded by Lochaven.

A wild snowy daffodils action shot! We would've bet we'd seen the last daffodil and snow photo for 2008, but here we have a cold one in Northern New Mexico for April 17. We love Lochaven's title for this image: "Smiling Throughout".

First Daffodils in East Lansing, Michigan

, originally uploaded by H. Mal.

H. Mal says it for all of us: Happiness. Things are growing, spring is coming. This image was taken on April 17, 2008.