Spring is coming!, originally uploaded by ann creasey.

This January 17, 2009 photo was taken by photographer ann creasey, who comments on the flickr post: Bought these daffodil bulbs half price five years ago. They have been beautiful every year since.

Here’s additional detail from Ann: It was taken on one of our allotments in Sheffield UK. We have had the plot since Sept 2003 and the bulbs are planted in one side of an old green house we found on the site when clearing the weeds. We just rebuilt the brick work and use it as raised beds.

We bought a sack of bulbs half price at the very end of the season in 03 and they have faithfully produced masses of flowers every spring since. I will take more pictures as the spring goes on. They were up before Christmas this year, I am sure this is early even for them. The bed, being raised, is warmer than the surrounding soil.

Spring is springing, originally uploaded by Sarah and Mike …probably.

This elegant photo was taken on January 25, 2009. The photographers Sarah and Mike…probably wrote this on the flickr post: The spring flowers are starting to show in our garden. Daffodils are Mike’s favourite, and these ones are well on their way.

Here is more detail, definitely from Sarah and Mike…probably: The daffodils are in our garden. I took the picture this afternoon (25 Jan) in Baildon, which is a town near Bradford in the north of England.

I don’t know how long they’ve been planted, but these ones are under a fir tree next to the road. There are quite a few others with them.

Green Shoots, originally uploaded by innpictime.

The photographer innpictime took this photo on January 11, 2009. He added the following comment to the flickr post: Wild daffodil shoots appearing. Spring is in sight! (I was going to title this “The Baroness Woz ‘Ere” but then thought that was a little unfair! Green shoots news story.)

Innpictime added the following details for us: The photo was taken at the bottom of my back garden in Melbourn, 10 miles south of Cambridge, England.

Off topic, but we have to share this with you –> Innpictime was tagged in the Flickr 16 questions tag game, his Flickr post is a must see, including the comments and photos. Photos were masterfully composed and processed in the darkroom by his mother. We can see he has the photography gene in this comment on a photo taken at Broadstairs 1962: My father took this with my Brownie box camera (you’ll recognise that low angle as he held it against his stomach [I must get it out again - I've still got it!]). Mother, at this time, was using an Ilford Advocate, a camera that she loved. It had a white body which made it very stylish and inconspicuous as a camera when most were black (there is one in the Science Museum). I remember it had a heavy body but was very nice to handle. She moved on to an old Leica…

Daffodils, originally uploaded by toni_thorne.

We asked photographer Toni Thorne about these daffodils and this highly artistic photo. Says Toni: The photo was taken on January the 17th 2009 at my home in Bristol UK. The Daffodils are bulbs I planted last spring, which have re-shooted this year. The shoots first appeared at the end of December which I was really surprised about. They are growing in a window box on my tiny little balcony at the top of a 3 story block of flats. The balcony is South East facing, so I guess all the daytime sunshine has encouraged them along.

Daffodils are one of my favourite plants, my birthday is in the Spring and the first daffodils of the year really do make me feel positive about becoming another year older.

Early Daffodil, originally uploaded by Theresa Elvin.

This daffodil in the north of England appears to have a jump on spring. Well, as photographer Theresa Elvin explains: Daffodils do not usually bloom here until March, but this little flower was grown in a pot in a greenhouse, so it has arrived earlier.

This cheerful image was taken on January 18, 2009.

springing, originally uploaded by shimmer2.

The photographer shimmer2 writes to tell us about this image: The photo was taken in a garden in Thames Ditton, a village on the edge of the Green Belt upstream from London, and these are early flowering narcissi.

This photo was taken on January 13, 2009.