They're not called Narcissus for nothing! William Wordsworth payed the ultimate homage to these seasonal visitors in his poem "Daffodils." The appearance of daffodils finally heralds the end of an often harsh winter and signals the arrival of spring. I have foud them to be notoriously difficult to photograph owing to their shape, texture and colour. I have yet to acquire my "ultimate daffodil" shot - but for a few weeks every year, its fun trying! ;-)

But first, please re-acquaint yourselves with William Wordsworth's eulogy:

Daffodils (1804)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A Poet could not be but gay
In such a jocund company!
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.


William Wordsworth (1770-1850)