Natures Colors Come Shining Through

Photo by JER

So I didn't catch anything on the trout opener. The weather was warm & comfortable. The Pigeon River was high but fishable. The Steelhead were observable. It was fun watching two Rainbow trout working a redd. They moved back and forth slapping the gravel bottom preparing it for their spring rights. The new season is here. Although the woods are just recovering from last weeks snow and the forest floor is a bit drab to say the least. The trees and shrubs are struggling to start their buds and their leaves are only weeks away. But Mother Nature knows how anxious I can be. So she gave me this preview of what spring is all about...A lone Crocus.

Walking along the bank on my trip to the car this hearty fellow beamed proudly from the forest floor. It shown as bright as the lighted bill board at Times Square. A luminous purple with a bright yellow stamen. I starred at it, fighting off my younger day instincts to pick it. My knowledge today tells me...pick it and it will die. Leave it to seed and it will be there next year. The Crocus is a flower that can grow in the snow and is ready to bloom on the rays of the sun. It will open as the day warms absorbing the suns energy and close as the day fades.
That's the same thing I do!

The crocus has a legend, it is called " The First Valentine "  The tale goes ...Valentine, a religious man, was sentenced to death for his beliefs by Roman Emperor Claudius II in 270 AD. Valentine in his last gesture gave a note to a blind girl, when she opened it a Crocus burst forward and her sight was restored...the note read "From Your Valentine". 

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