Springtime nears

The hellebore is one of my favourite blooms and I'm always excited when I see it in the garden as it's the first to appear and suggests that spring is stirring. Fortunately, these lovely flowers self seed most readily for me and I have no issue with encouraging them all the way.

Not the most perfect of images - the flower is very close to the ground and at an awkward angle so I had to crouch down and place the camera in the vicinity of the plant, click the shutter blind and hope for the best!