Signs of Spring!

The birds have been chirping, the sun is brighter and now we have an extra hour of daylight in the evening. Even though I still have snow on the ground, I did manage to see a few other signs of spring in the neighborhood yesterday.

The first was a beautiful yellow-bloomed witch hazel tree (Hamamelis). It's one of the earliest to bloom in late winter/early spring. 

The flowers have these squiggly little petals and gives off a sweet, delicate scent. 

Here is a close up, from Wikipedia:

Another early bloomer is the lovely and delicate Snowdrops (Galanthus). These are just about to open:

The name Galanthus means "milk flower" in Greek. The petals, when open, face downward and when in a mass, looks like a light covering of snow. 

Where the snow has melted, I see a few shoots of crocus and daffodils. Soon my landscape will be a riot of color. Soon!