Robin and his friend Daffodil

Robin 1, originally uploaded by mumpenny.

This December 27, 2008 photo has spring written all over it in West Somerset, England. The photographer, mumpenny, has sent us this information:

The robin patrols our garden which is 400' above sea level on the warm red sandy soils of West Somerset, England, in the Vale of Taunton between the Quantock hills and Exmoor, right next to the West Somerset Railway. That day, where the sun had not touched it the frost still held; but the shelter of the south facing bank made it pleasant enough to sit in the sun on an upturned bucket, camera in one hand and trowel in the other, uncovering the early daffodil shoots - and tempting titbits for the robin.

Early daffodils in Sussex, England

Early daffodils, originally uploaded by GeorgieR.

Early, early, early daffodils.

The photographer, George Redgrave, comments on the Flickr page: Daffodils out on Boxing Day! (No trains are running in Britain today - this railway is no exception.)

George tells us the railway is a miniature one in Goff's Park, Crawley, Sussex (a summertime park railroad). He has added a map tag here.

Christmas daffodil in the Netherlands

in our garden / in onze tuin, originally uploaded by friedkampes.

The photographer, Fried Kampes, comments on this lovely and unusual photo: A christmas narcissus? Or is it just a scout for next spring? // 'n Kerstnarcis? of is het gewoon een verkenner voor de komende lente?

We wrote to Fried to ask if it this was a common sight at Christmas time, and Fried replies: I know it IS here , in the Netherlands, very uncommon for daffodils to bloom in this time of the year. That's why I was so surprised to see it this morning.

Chillin' in Washington State

I guess this will chill the daffodil bulbs, originally uploaded by PittiSing
This wintry scene was captured by PittiSing on December 21 in Washington.

PittiSing writes: "The photo is in Sammamish, Washington. And yes, feel free to look at the images when the daffs come up. I planted well over 100 pink ones and I hope they make it!"

Daffodils coming up - in England

Daffies!, originally uploaded by Rosie 55
We wrote to Rosie for permission to post this photo, and her reply: "Yes, that would be fine, though you will have to come back in a few weeks to see the flowers!"

And we will...

Rosie answered our question about the photograph with this detailed information:

These are in our front garden, which is at the Southern end of the County of Gloucestershire - about twenty miles North of the city of Bristol. That makes this area a little warmer than much of the UK. And they are shoots of either King Alfreds or white narcissi - which were interplanted by a previus owner. Here is a picture of daffodils in flower in the same position last year - flickr.com/photos/rosie55/2331873684/ which was taken on 9 March 2008.

December Spring

december spring, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

We're using the photographer's title of this December 17 photo because it is a perfect title. Mirona says this about the photo:

The photo is taken in our living room in London, yesterday. The daffodils have an amazing fragrance, which I believed until now that was only characteristic to white varieties. Both types of flowers were bought last Sunday at the Farmer's Market on Moxon Street, London (Marylebone).

Mirona has a quote on her flickr page, and it happily applies to her photography: I'm here to live out loud (Emile Zola).

Update: We wondered what is in the red bowl. Here's the answer from Mirona:

There is a floating purple candle in the red bowl, shaped like a snowflake. An early Christmas pressie :) from Habitat (London). It looks great but it doesn't burn so well... Here you can see it better:

farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/3118370476_8887673456_b.jpg

Christmas daffodils in Japan

From my yard..., originally uploaded by Pine57.

We wrote to Pine 57 in central Japan, asking about this wonderful seasonal photo taken on December 7. Here is the reply:

Thank you for noticing my super early daffodil photo. I've been noticing that this variety starts to bloom around Christmas-New Year in my backyard. December 7 is earlier than usual. The winter is mild in this region with snow only once every 7 years or so. Yesterday morning it was -0.5 C here, which is unusually cold for this area, so this winter may be the one for snow. I live in the central part of Japan, in Shizuoka Prefecture. My other daffodils will definitely bloom in spring, as they should.

In addition, we learned about two daffodil festivals in Japan, one beginning in a few weeks, and one likely in February. We'll post that information at daffodilfestivals.com. Thanks for all this super information, Pine 57!

Netherland daffodils

Is it too early to start talking about spring coming, especially since we haven't officially started winter?

This photo was taken by missgien, from her balcony in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Oh Really? in Marin County (California)

daffodils, originally uploaded by quince flower.

Just wondering: are daffodils ever out of season in California? We're not sure what the deal is here, and are trying to find out.

Update on December 4, 2008: We just spoke with someone at the Marin County Cooperative Extension and have learned that many naturalized daffodils do, in fact, bloom in the fall in the San Francisco area. Summer is too hot for daffodils. But autumn, these days, feels a lot like spring and the daffodils agree.

This photo was taken on December 2, 2008 by quince flower.

Planting daffodils in Morningside Park

October seems a long time ago.

Daffodils and Wordsworth for Holiday Cheer

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud. Now that this blog is "officially open", we'd like to call attention to our Daffodils note cube, which is sold on Amazon.com. Our love for the Wordsworth poem and our need for a pretty desk notepad led us to design and print the note cube pictured just to the right of this post. Here is our website, which has direct links to our product pages on Amazon.com. These note cubes sell and ship directly from Amazon. You may enjoy this note cube for many reasons. Here's one: it's a great way to memorize the Wordsworth poem, since it is written in its entirety on the note cube. It's an excellent stress reliever when you're on hold with the cable company.

If you do order the Daffodils note cube, we'd love to hear your comments here and also in the comments area of its Amazon page. Thanks!

Planting Daffodils

This just in from Sharon Howell in Tennessee. This blog is officially "open" for 2009!

Dear I Spring:
It's November 23 here in Tennessee and I have finished planting hundreds more daffodils around our house and in our woods. You may love these glorious flowers more than I do, but I doubt it! Seriously, aren't they just too beautiful for words, though Wordsworth certainly captured their essence. When we left our house in the Boston suburbs and the about 60 daffs in the front flower bed, I was determined to have many more down here, as many as I could plant. Each year I've added more and more, and now cannot wait until Spring!
Keep going with your project. The photos add so much cheer to your viewers.
All the best to you,
Sharon Howell

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.

First Daffodils in Woodburn, Oregon

fenced in, originally uploaded by jahat.

We really, really like this photo. It's a bit unsettling (in a great, artistic way). Fenced-in drama in Woodburn, Oregon on April 16, 2008.

We could have danced all night in Washington, D.C.

We are mesmerized by this photograph titled "Spring Dance". The garden magic occurred in tuanh's backyard in a suburb of Washington, D.C. on March 25, 2008.