The Snowdrop

This is a bit of a cheat because I received the photo in an email, however it sums up a part of the day where I connected to the amazing beauty of a snowdrop and the way it pushes up through the cold earth in winter. The accompanying description to the engraving is fascinating, too:

The Snowdrop (1804) is a mezzotint engraving from The Temple of Flora (1799-1807), "one of the greatest ever flower books". It was compiled by Dr Robert John Thornton (1768-1837), a physician and botanical writer who lectured on medical botany, and featured plates by a number of artists reproduced using a variety of techniques. Mezzotint is type of intaglio printing which gives soft gradations of tone; here it allows the snowdrops and crocuses to stand out against the winter landscape.