Feb 1st, 2016

Spring-like Day & Blooms

side view of Crocus with yellow and purple

The side view of Crocus angustifolius ‘Cloth of Gold.’ As you can see, it has purple stripes!

We lucked out on this first day of February with a not very winter-like day. I went for a walk to see what was in bloom. Not only were there blooms, but there were plenty of honeybees too. That didn’t surprise me as much as the fact that I got warm on my walk even though I had no jacket  and that there was still plenty of snow on the ground in shady areas, despite the spring-like temperatures of 69 degrees.

The spring-like day, though unusual for February, brought out plenty of visitors and plenty of pollinators. I heard the patter of children’s feet flying down the Main Garden Path, I saw a couple sitting on a bench in the Cochrane Rose Garden, and I saw a few lucky grandchildren with their grandparents.  It was such a beautiful day to be outside.

Here are a few of my favorite images from today. See if you can find the ant!

 bee and hellebore siloutted (helleborus foetidus) stinking hellebore. Photo by jonah holland

The bees were happy to get out and about on this spring-like day. Pictured is a honeybee and stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus).

 yellow crocus and bee cropped Crocus angustifolius 'Cloth of Gold'

Early spring blooms like this crocus can bloom on warm winter days and the honeybees flock to them collecting pollen. This one is called Crocus angustifolius ‘Cloth of Gold.’

 bee and stinking hellebore; Helleborus foetidus. Photo by Jonah Holland

A honey bee and a stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus).

yellow crocus and ant

Even ants are attracted to crocus!

Jonah Holland is Digital Content Manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, where she has worked for 14 years overseeing social media, the blog, and the website. She is also a mom, yogi, open water swimmer, gardener, and seeker. She's been known to go for a walk in the Garden and come back with hundreds of plant photos, completely inspired to write her next blog post.

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