Just when you think you can’t stand one more, gray, damp, dreary day of February, the hardy daffodil pops up to save the day.

The woods at Menokin are resplendent with the paint daubs of yellow that are splattered among the leaf litter on the forest floor. They grow in clumps that are spread like a stream along a bed known only to them.

There is debate about when these harbingers of spring were first brought to Colonial America. There are many accounts of a wide variety of narcissus bulbs being cultured and coveted in the early days of our country.

The variety we have here is known as Narcissus pseudonarcissus L. – daffodil. and the USDA credits them as being a native plant to Virginia as well as 26 other states.

All I know is that when you need a late winter boost of spirit, gazing into a bouquet of daffodils is just what the doctor ordered.