New Growth

Crocuses

Crocus sieberi subsp. sublimis

I believe this to be the snow crocus, possibly the selection 'Tricolor' or at least similar to it. The one pictured in the foreground was the one featured a few posts ago, now with a second bud, and a third bud forming towards the base. Most Crocus have flowers that are photo reactive, only opening when the sun is out and the weather is not gloomy, like it has been here.

This is probably a hybrid of Crocus chrysanthus. Any suggestions to the true identity of this or any other Crocus I post are welcome.

More Crocus buds appearing, some seemingly overnight. This small patch will be completely orange in a week or two, if the deer don't get to them first. Jerks.

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Henderson's shooting stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii)

This plant grows from a fleshy rhizomatous crown, often surrounded by tiny bulblets which can be dug and planted on their own when it goes dormant in late spring. The fleshy leaves appear in late winter, pretty much now, to photosynthesize before sending up the flower scapes in mid spring. This is native here in Oregon, and possibly Northern California.

A lone leaf of Galanthus nivalis, the common Snowdrop. This is a threatened and protected species from Europe. That is why they are so expensive, not even taking into account the "Galanthophiles", those who worship the Snowdrop in all of its species and forms. A single bulb of a unique form sold for £725, the highest price ever paid for any Snowdrop, equating roughly $1100 in US currency.

Scilla siberica are planted all over, as the deer seem to ignore them. Unfortunately, the slugs love them. The slugs have been bad this winter due to the mild conditions. That was the benefit of last years deep freeze.

How many individual species can you differentiate here? This is a space no taller than four inches.

A strange gathering of Bryophytes. I welcome any suggestions as to the identity of the cone shaped structures. This was a section no wider than two inches.

A tiny Lupinus seedling emerges next to this Bryophyte.

A few posts ago I posted a photo of Cynoglossum grande. This is the same plant taken from the same angle. Now you can see the leaves unraveling, looking like some type of hairy chard.

My seed grown Pulmonaria officinalis have flower buds, far ahead of the spotted forms I have. I always welcome early bloomers, as this extends the season for bees as well.

Winter is a time when the populations of the perennial colonies of honeybees diminish. Any bee caught outside the hive before nightfall will not survive. The individual bees require the warmth generated in the hive at night all year round. Bees also have limited lifespans. While Queens may live for a few years, workers live a much shorter duration. This bee may have been a ripe old age (for a bee), though it still makes me sad. Fortunately, I have not seen any signs of Varroa mites, and the hive is full of healthy bees awaiting the first major nectar flow.