Easter Flowers

Day 173: Easter is not a day I celebrate, unless it's to use it as an excuse to make a couple of devilled eggs for lunch. On the other hand, my garden is breaking out its spring wardrobe. The first narcissi opened yesterday, preceded by a few double daffodils by less than 48 hours. The grape hyacinths sneaked in and surprised me, standing beside furled peony foliage. In even better news, the honeybees and bumbles have joined a parade to the blossoms, and a handful of butterflies (largely Commas) are fluttering their standards at the head of the march. Indoors, I'm setting seeds in flats, already rewarded with the eruption of poppies and tomatoes, both now at the point of putting on their first true leaves. I may not celebrate Easter, but I do celebrate planting season with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I have no mustard in the house, so my hard-boiled eggs will have to be eaten plain.