Can spring be far way?

Snowdrops are often the first new flowers of the New Year, and this year is no exception,   I have been watching these since Christmas slowly expand on the warmer days and possibly encouraged by the  little bit of additional light each day.

this came as Galanthus plicatus subsp byzantinus for those who are curious, in my home garden it always seems to beat G. elwesii to the punch while at DBG G. elwesii is always the the first.  I think it has to do with the microcliamtes they are in, although there are G. elwesii not more than a meter away from these precocious beauties.