Early Spring in North Carolina
First Flowers - Daffodils

The first flowers of spring, the daffodils, come up in
February and start blooming the end of that month.  
I have several varieties, some of them bloom in March,
and even in April.  The daffodil is my favorite flower.  
My daffodils have done really well; some came from a
gift that I replanted and some came from Michigan Bulb.  
I hope to plant more of them.

Isn't Spring wonderful?  It comes much earlier to the
Southeast much earlier than it did to the Midwest.

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Daffodils, the flowers symbolising friendship, are one of the most
popular flowers exclusively due to their unmatched beauty.
Daffodils belong to the genus Narcissus. Daffodil flowers have a
trumpet-shaped structure set against a star-shaped background.

Often the trumpet is in a contrasting color from the background.
The name Daffodils includes the cluster-flowered yellow Jonquils
and the White Narcissi , as well as the include as the more common
trumpet shaped flowers (right), members of the genus Narcissus.

Daffodils are constantly recurring flowers with at least 50 species
and many hybrids. Where climate is moderate, Daffodils flourish
among the first spring buds. Daffodils often bloom in clusters.
Daffodils are native mainly to the Mediterranean region, in
particular to the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Northern Africa
and the Middle East.

In addition to the species, the Daffodil Data Bank lists over 13,000
hybrids. Generally Daffodils are yellow, and range from
yellow-and-white, yellow-and-orange, white-and-orange, pink, and
lime-green.

All Daffodils have a corona in the center that looks like a trumpet,
and a ring of petals all around. The natural Daffodil is golden
yellow color all over, while the trumpet may often appear in a
contrasting color.

There is literally no difference between Daffodils and Narcissus.
The two words are synonymous. Narcissus is the Latin or botanical
name for the commonly called daffodils. Daffodil is the common
name for all members of the genus Narcissus.

http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/mostpopularflowers/morepo
pularflowers/daffodil


"Daffodils" (1804)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
Above - Daffodils growing in a container, a gift from two friends and former co-workers in 2010.
Below, the same flowers replanted and growing in my yard in 2011.