Snowdrops

In England,  springtime is always heralded by snowdrops. They seem such delicate flowers - bursting as they do from small bulbs hidden beneath the surface of the soil. Snowdrops grow in people's gardens but in my view they are best seen in wild or natural environments.

Today - before preparing the Sunday roast dinner -  I drove out of the city to Shotts Lane. It is a cul-de-sac where I have often parked Clint and previous vehicles too - Keith, Dave the Ford Focus, Pierre and Graham the Seat Ibiza. With boots on, I set off marching my very familiar circular route. If I don't loiter or stop to take photographs, the walk takes me exactly an hour.

This morning I was slowed down by the snowdrops that gather on the banks of Redcar Brook. Such a beautiful display this year. Thousands of them. I paused to take pictures as I acknowledged their loveliness. They were so lovely that tomorrow I plan to add a poem called "Snowdrops" to this blogpost.

Googling "snowdrops", I discovered that they are not in fact native plants. They were introduced long ago - possibly during the era of Roman occupation but were certainly well-established by the sixteenth century. Interestingly, William Shakespeare never referred to snowdrops in his writings though he did remark upon  daffodils in "The Winter's Tale": "When daffodils begin to peer, - With hey! The doxy over the dale, - Why, then comes in the sweet o' the year".

Incidentally, the majority of daffodil species we know today are also not native to The British Isles. It is similarly  believed that they were introduced by The Romans around two thousand years ago.

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/IbEYjFx