As soon as Christmas passes and we hurtle into spring, many look out for the first sign of life: the emerging albino head of the crocus, or an early flame bud of a daffodil. For many, these are the quintessential harbinger of spring. For me, though, I only feel the pure delight of spring run through my veins at the first sight of a snake's head fritillary poking through the soil in early April. A beautiful sight to behold.
Though snake's heads aren't the only fritillaria that gets my pulse racing. The Fritillaria genus is larger and more complex than perhaps you might think, with several highly covetable varieties, each as dashingly handsome and peculiar as the next. They are some of the very best spring bulbs for wildlife and pollinators, and add to the beautiful tapestry of a well-formed, varied spring garden.
