Early Spring Flowers

We all look forward to spring at the end of a long winter, and the first signs of spring actually arriving are treasured.  For me there are a few species of flowers, both in the garden and in the wild, that are the heralds of early spring.  The first two of these are from gardens, one our own, and one a neighbour's.  

The first is a dwarf iris, only a few inches tall, and bright royal blue.  Below are aconite flowers, also very tiny, but bright.  Along with snowdrops, these are among the very first flowers out, sometimes blooming while there's still snow on the ground.

And below is a skunk cabbage.  I posted some pictures of these earlier in the month, but I went back and searched until I found one where the flower inside the curved protective covering was visible.  This one really does come up through the snow.

All of these pictures were taken before the ice storm of the last few days, so who knows how these little flowers are feeling now.  But we tend to forget that early spring flowers are actually adapted to frost and snow, and will usually survive without damage.