The secret garden

Green shoots are sprouting up everywhere on New Castle island.  Some are in neat rows in little rock-edged planters framing doorways and along fences.  But most are just poking up randomly in the middle of lawns, in between boulders, out of decomposing leaf piles, and just about everywhere you look.

You'd think after Florida's vast array of exotic plants that this wouldn't be very impressive, but somehow, it's thrilling.  These shoots are sturdily built for the job of heralding spring. With a knife edge that slices easily through the earth, they're ramrod straight; nothing impedes their upward thrust.  Unfazed by wind, cold, or snow, they're popping up in clumps for extra protection.  I did catch a squirrel plucking a lone crocus and munching half of it before casually tossing it aside, so I guess they're not totally invincible.
  

Because we arrived last year in late the fall, we have never seen our yard in the spring or summer...so it's all a great surprise.