Some gardeners believe the first crocus in bloom is the official harbinger of spring. Other folks wait until the equinox. The local meteorologists contend spring occurs when the average daily temperature exceeds 50 degrees, the third week of February. For me, spring begins when I see the first wildflower.

In early February I was successful. It is now official: The 9th of February was the first day of spring in 2013! Living north of the 45^th parallel and north of Portland, Maine, I’m always amazed how temperate the climate is near the Portland area. Although, Milan, Italy and Bordeaux, France are also on the 45^th parallel.

In a blog post to follow I’ll describe the hike in the eastern portion of the Columbia River Gorge where the wildflowers were spotted. For the time being, here is a photo of a grass widow. By the way, this photograph is a Jpg version of a RAW photo with absolutely no changes (no cropping, no sharpening and no brightening.)