Here They Come

by Connie Handscomb

Title

Here They Come

Artist

Connie Handscomb

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Fine Art

Description

You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.
~ Pablo Neruda

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Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus, golden crocus)
Botanical Name Crocus is from the Greek "Krokos"

Family = Iridaceae

The crocus is old. On the island of Santorini, in the ruins of Akrotiri, wall paintings were found showing the harvest of crocus stamens that date back to c. 1600 BCE [the Bronze Age]. It is mentioned in the Song of Solomon from 3,000 years ago. Ancient Sanskrit used the letters KRK which became 'crocus' in Latin.

While we know it best as a food flavor enhancer, saffron [fr Crocus sativus] was used during the Middle Ages in illuminated manuscripts as an imitation gold leaf, though rarely, due to its cost. And yes, it was used as a food flavoring then too .... by the rich families. Its flavour has been described as bittersweet: sweet, pungent, and earthy. The Romans used it to clear the air - the weathy ones stuffed their mattresses with rose petals and saffron. Alexander the Great is said to have had saffron baths to ease his wounds. Culpeper called it an 'herb of the sun, and of the Lion' as it was used to strengthen the heart [10 grains given as a medicine]. It has been used to aid digestion, reduce high blood pressure, and stimulate circulation.

The crocus plant has both male and female parts, which enables it to easily reproduce when in flower. Currently crops are grown in Kashmir, Spain and Afghanistan. Stigmas are hand picked, dried, and then ground.

While the Crocus sativus can be cultivated for its saffron, others such as the snow crocuses and spring flowering crocus (C. vernus) grow wild in many parts of the world, and are the earliest of spring flowers.

Sources:
100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names [Diana Wells]
Fifty Plants That Changed The Course Of History [Bill Laws]
Four Chefs, One Garden : Seasons Of West Coast Living [Roy]

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So true, we cannot keep Spring from coming! and how happy we feel when we see those first, fresh blooms poking through the soil (or snow, for those regions who have it). If a heart was in wintertime slumber, it awakens with a smile when it sees these pretty blooms heralding the new season of birth and rebirth.

At the end of January, I was seeing these small buds coming through, and although it has been raining hard these last few days, the bright spots underneath the heavy, grey skies are these golden newborn clumps of petals. What a joy to know that spring is here!

Taken in natural light ; uncropped; unaltered : Nature in all its natural splendour.

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♥ Heartfelt Gratitude to FAA groups for featuring this image :

All Springtime Photography
All Things Golden
Wild Flowers
Visions Of Spring
Flower Mania
Global Flowers Photography
All About Nature
Flower Power
Images That Excite You

Uploaded

February 4th, 2016

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