Woodland Crocus

If you are a careful observer of earliest spring, you will meet Little Tommy, who is known in formal circles as Crocus tommasinianus or Woodland Crocus.

(Tommies fully open to the sun)

Utterly endearing, and one of the earliest harbingers of spring, his purple buds and a blossom or two appear right about now, when the first chorus of spring peepers is heard in the wetlands when one is driving home at dusk, and a daffodil or two are open in the very sunniest lawns.  But you have to watch closely for him, because his color is subtle, and he is only two inches high.

Brightly purple in full sun, Tommy has his own translucent glow in shadier areas.  When fully naturalized, entire yards glow with his light.

I first discovered him when we lived in a woodland home about ten years ago.  One morning in February, I was walking through the yard, when I caught a tiny flash of purple at my feet.  "A violet?!?  Now?" I thought in amazement.  Then I stooped down and met sweet Tommy for the very first time.  Since then, we've seen him in a few other places, and introduced him to our new home when we moved here seven years ago.  We mixed him into the grassy lawn, along with King Alfred, Red Devon, and Tete a Tete daffodils.

Tommy is so sweet, shy, delicate, and enchanting that he could marry a Quaker Lady if they ever had a chance to meet, but Quaker Ladies won't arrive for another month or two.

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