Need I say, daffodils are probably the most welcome signal that winter is over and spring is on its way. With their bright yellow visage and perky stance, one can never seem to have enough of these beauties. Blessedly, they naturalize on their own (making them the only “invasives” that we gardeners would permit). Treasuring them as I do, I have started a little tradition…photographing them in different settings around our gorgeous island. Few nonresidents realize that Aquidneck Island is all ledge (unlike Nantucket, which is a sandy atoll). Taking advantage of this topography adds immeasurably to the gardening as well as the photography experience.

I adore the way these daffodils nestle into the stone outcroppings…

tumble down a long, sweeping lawn under majestic trees…

and brighten up woodlands and shrubs that have yet to leaf out.

Don’t you love this arborial work of art that has been stripped and whitened by the salt air and winds coming off the ocean? The perfect backdrop to an annual display of daffodils.

Once the daffodils have gone by, another cheery plant (golden tuft alyssum) takes up home on the terrace with the pond, softening the bluestone and surrounding ledge outcroppings that lead up to a favorite picnic spot in the woods.

Here’s to the Merry Month of May!