Weather-Hardened Crocus

A crocus shoot peeks above ground

that less than 12 hours earlier was

covered with 1-2 inches of snow. Even

more striking was the fact that at 7:00 AM

on the previous day temperatures had

bottomed out to a frigid 10 degrees F.

This photo was taken from our backyard

in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 5:00 PM,

Tuesday, March 6, 2012. It was at this time

that temps peaked at 69 degrees F, just

shy of a record high. The balmy conditions

melted virtually all the snow that had been on

the ground in the morning, summoning the

welcomed arrival of these colorful and

hardy wild flowers.