...when we start seeing more and more signs that spring ain't too far off. One of the earliest harbingers in our yard -and most others for that matter- is Galanthus elwesii and although they're a little later than last year they're just a few days away from making a nice showing again. One of the things I've developed a penchant for over the past few years are sports, invariably a trip to any nursery involves some sport fishing..:0) Initially I was focused on hostas in that regard but I've stumbled across a few sports in Galanthus elwesii, with the first one showing up in my own yard -only discovered it last year but I have reason to believe it's been there for more than one year seeing as there were several- with the next to be spotted in a batch @Phoenix Perennials and now I've discovered one amongst a batch of bulbs a friend gave us last fall. Our friend Donna gave us a bunch of bulbs she dug up at a friend's property that was going to be redeveloped and while it was clear which were the daffodils and tulips, there were some that were a question mark. Those question marks are proving to be Galanthus and while they may well be elwesii they could also be a hybrid, I'll have to wait and see what they look like in about 3 weeks or so and see if things fall into place: hybrid or sport. Anyway, here's some pictures..... The first picture is of the supposed nominate species, the second one is what I found in my own yard. The third and fourth are of the one I discovered @Phoenix Perennials with the first shot showing last year's and the 2nd shot is this year's, notice the difference in the size of the colour band at the top and the difference in colour between the two years. Finally the last three shots are the surprises from our friend Donna and again there's a notable variation in the pattern and amount of green near the top. So, while you can tell the differences there are similarities as well, such as the shape of the band at the bottom. In order to be able to properly ID which is which I've given them all garden names, 'Steveston' for the one from our yard, 'Phoenix' for the one from Gary's and 'Donna' for the ones from our friend.... And when all's said and done it could all just be examples of the apparent variability of this species....