Here in the foothills of the central Italian Apennines, spring is still a very long way away. But every year this species of endemic crocus (Crocus variegatus) is always the first to break the spell of winter, defying the frost and icy wind to push its delicate way through the tangle of dead and dormant vegetation. So each year from early January onwards, I go on regular pilgrimages to a nearby site where experience tells me I’m most likely to find the first flowers… and today I struck lucky. There were very few and most of these were the worse for wear after the snow of just a few days ago, but merely finding them is enough to put a smile on my face. Let the new season commence! Impossible to get a decent clean image without literally mowing the meadow to get rid of all the tangled unsightly vegetation, but for me the important was to document this turning point in the seasons.