Beacon Hill

Around this time of year I like to check on Beacon Hill because its slopes are usually covered with daffodils. We had a beautiful sunny afternoon today and the daffodils didn't disappoint.

February Choices!

As I wrote yesterday, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I sam hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish two or three photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who gave me their opinions yesterday.

Below are my favorite February 2016 photos: Which one do you prefer?

Flowering Plum

Daffodils on Beacon Hill

View from Swallows' Landing

Daffodils

One of the earliest places to look for spring blooms is the south-facing slope of Beacon Hill so I took a spin around there yesterday and was rewarded with these lovely daffodils. Daffodils are not a native species here so next I'll be on the lookout of early blooming local wildflowers.

Daffodils

Here's another spring flower that is always a joy to see, Daffodils. While they are not native to this continent, they have naturalized themselves in Victoria and clumps and patches of them brighten bits of vacant lots and open land. Those pictured here are blooming on the Matson Lands just above the West Bay Walkway, below Swallow's Landing.

Signs of Spring

Daffodils are not native plants here but this environment seems to suit them so perfectly that they have naturalized themselves. The ones pictured above are blooming along the West Bay Walkway between some rocks on the shoreline.

Another sure sign of spring

We are having a beautiful weekend with lots of warm sunshine but I am sadly holed up with a flu bug. As a compromise I snuck out into the yard and picked a few of these beautiful daffodils and they have been a good subject for an indoor photo shoot. - Fern

Daffodils

Crocuses mark the end of winter but the real onset of spring is signaled for me by Daffodils (Genus Narcissus). There are dozens of different varieties but when I think of daffodils it is the yellow ones that come to mind. Those above were photographed recently in Beacon Hill Park. They appear to be a miniature variety and are a bit ahead of their taller relatives.

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Today begins Year 4 of this blog and I promised some surprises. The first is that in a few days I will be away from the blog - totally offline - for about three and half weeks. I am taking a little holiday and traveling to India. During my absence my daughter will be blogging here and posting her photos of Victoria. I am sure you'll all enjoy a different perspective on Victoria through her lens. I'll be flying out to New Delhi on Sunday the 13th of March and will not return until April 7th.