Favourite Field Flowers, plate 1.

Today's plate features The Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), The Snake's-head lily (Fritillaria meleagris), The Sweet-scented Violet (Viola odorata) and The Primrose (Primula vulgaris).

The Snowdrop is the opening flower in the book, each description starts with a poem:

"Winter's gloomy night withdrawn,
Lo! the young romantic hours-
Search the hills, the dale, the lawn,
To behold the Snowdrop white
    Start to light,
And shine in Flora's desert bowers;
    Beneath the verdant dawn
The morning star of flowers.

Montgomery

What flower can we more appropriately place on our opening page than the Snowdrop? It is almost universally regarded as the first that greets us when chilly Winter is retiring at the approach of genial and life-restoring Spring."

..and of the Snakes-head Lily,

A weed! yes, such a flower is deemed,
Where to numerous it is found;
And yet to others it hath seemed
A pretty plant for cultured ground.

The snakes head fritillary grew semi wild in one of our fields where I worked in Hertfordshire. It was thought that they were planted by the Lady of the Manor house.. 

Cold, with blustery showers today, but bright spells in between. Egg run tonight, and a pint methinks. Winter cleaning the house again, ready for Thursday..