“Nobody Sees a Flower Really” – A Tribute to the Wild, Canadian Prairie Crocus

I read a quote this morning by the artist Georgia O’Keeffe:

“In a way nobody sees a flower really, it is so small, we haven’t the time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” 

There is a flower that inspires me to take time to stop and see and breathe in the miracle of life. It is the first flower of spring, and it is, in many ways, like a good friend in its effect on me. The earliest I have ever seen a wild prairie crocus blooming in the Peace River hills is March 27. When I see the fuzzy stems and petals reaching up and opening to the sun, sometimes even through the snow, their brilliant yellow centres light up their faces and mine. This year, however, the weather was so cold in March and April, I began to doubt the crocuses would bloom and that Spring would spring at all. I felt caught in the eternal winter of the sunless grind. Don’t get me wrong; I love winter. But part of the joy of the sparkle in the snow is the anticipation of crocuses!

April 26, I returned from a short holiday on Vancouver Island where the trees were green and the tulips, daffodils and rhododendrons were blooming profusely. Upon arriving home in the early evening, I took our dog, Mylo, for a long walk in the still brown and cold Peace River hills, and I got down on my hands and knees and kissed the first brave, lonely crocus I saw! I took in a deep, fresh breath of faith and went home to bed.

The next day, finally, we were blessed with a warm, sunny day, and the crocuses burst forth abundantly, adorning the hills with their purple promises of life!

The honey bees and Mylo like the crocuses too! Thankfully, Mylo stopped eating the crocuses I was trying to photograph and chased a deer instead.

I hope you have the opportunity to see and maybe even touch or kiss a fuzzy little crocus this spring!

Here are some photos from springs past, including a mature crocus on a wacky hair day.

As you may have guessed, this is my most fondly photographed flower, and I’ve featured a few of my favourites in cards:

Spring Crocuses, Faith in Spring (a grief card), Easter Crocus, Canadian Wildflowers, Glory of the Seasons, and Birthday Crocuses (a silly card with the crocus on a wacky hair day inside).