The heralds of spring, originally uploaded by k~owl.
Photographer k~owl tells us about this January 23, 2010 photo: The photo was taken with a Canon EOS 40D, a 50mm f/1.4 lens and a close-up filter (Marumi DHG Achromat +5) @ f/22 (the smallest possible aperture since the close-up filter creates a very shallow depth). Camera was stabilized by a bean bag and I used a ring flash.
Location is my garden in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany. I planted the bulbs on November 8th, 2008 (not that I would remember the exact date, but I posted a photo on flickr that day: www.flickr.com/photos/dsungi/3012955781).
Well, today everything is covered under a 10-cm layer of snow again. No signs of spring or sprouts … but at least I know that they are out there, waiting for better days 
Here is what k~owl wrote on the flickr post: January – the darkest and dreariest month of the year. Spring seems so far away, but today I felt like going outside and searching the garden for signs of spring. And lo and behold! I discovered the first shy daffodil sprouts cleaving through the dead leaves. A sign of hope!
If you click through to this photo on flickr, there is a second photo with more sprouts posted as a comment.
