Daffodil (Narcissus)Taking the Time to Observe the Daffodil (Narcissus)
A Photo Journal and Gallery from All-Creatures.org

Dedicated to the Preservation and Restoration of the Whole of Creation: Humans, Animals, and the Environment.

And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31)

Table of Contents


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The Awakening - Most of us have probably heard the expression "take time to smell the roses", which is a way of expressing the need we have to soften the stresses of our daily lives, and bring healing to our spirit and soul by observing the simple things in nature.  This series is dedicated to one of those simple things in God's creation - the daffodil.

When the snow and frost are gone from the ground, the hearty daffodils begin to poke their heads up through the leaves, grass and twigs on the surface of the ground.
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The Awakening - A Closer Look - We can walk by the green sprouts of the daffodils and see little else, or we can take that added time to notice the beauty in the carpet of last year's fallen leaves, which still exhibit every little leaf-vein.  Last year's faded splendor is nourishing the soil to insure this year's beauty.  Looking at these little things reminds us of Romans 1:20 (NASV):

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

Thank you, Lord, for bringing a joy to our heart and soul!
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(Daffodil - Awakening - 8 Apr 2003 - 01)  A late snow covered the awakening daffodils with a cold white blanket.
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(Daffodil - Awakening - 8 Apr 2003 - 02)  More daffodils stretch their leaves above the snowy blanket.
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(Daffodil - Awakening - 8 Apr 2003 - 03)  The daffodils stand in the snow making a statement that Spring is really here.
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(Daffodil - Awakening - 8 Apr 2003 - 03a)  Two days after we took this photo, the last of the spring snow was gone, and the daffodils continued to grow.
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The Budding - The slanting rays of late afternoon sunshine add light, shadow and contrast to the maturing daffodils as they send forth their flower buds amidst the carpet of myrtle and last year's fallen leaves.  Spring has arrived!
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The Blooming - As the maturing buds of the daffodils continue to swell and open, the inner blooming beauty becomes evident for all who care to observe.  The hardy green stems that poked their heads above the ground just a short time before have given the world the beginnings of this delicate brilliant white and yellow flower.
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The Flowering - Within only a day of the beginning blooms, the daffodils open themselves up to display their crowning glory.  God's majesty seems to be magnified the in the magnificence of the daffodils' maturity.
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Shades of Gold on White - An important part of taking the time to observe the daffodil is our looking at it with a bee's eye view of its delicate composition and inner shades of gold.   Daffodils truly are one of God's gifts to us.  Let us be glad and rejoice in them.
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Shades of Gold on Gold - Each daffodil seems to have a uniqueness all its own.  There are even subtle differences between the petals of a single flower, much like our own fingerprints.  Only God could have created such variation within a single variety of daffodils.  This particular one is called "Juanita", which was pictured with an orange center trumpet, but behold, this one is golden yellow, nearly the same as its outer petals.
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Three's Company - These three daffodils grew from a single bulb which we planted three years ago.   Each year we have more plants, which add to the early spring beauty of our yard and remind us of God's provision.  Even though these are not lilies, we are reminded of the Bible passage in Mathew 6:28-29 (NASV):

"And why are you anxious about clothing?  Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 05) The daffodils bloom for a few weeks and then fade away for another year, but in the time they are present they bring joy to the heart, and even in their fading there is hope that they will return next year.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 05a) This is another bee's eye view of a daffodil.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 06) Daffodils proliferate quite rapidly.  Within only a couple of years, these four flowers grew where we planted a single bulb.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 07) Another Spring and more daffodils to grace our days.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 07a) This is a closer look at one of the flowers.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 08) Every flower has a special beauty of it's own, that is, if we take the time to look.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 08a) But when we take the time to have a bee's eye view of the frilly petals around the pistil and stamens, and the delicate yellow blush that surrounds them, it's as if God is saying to us to see beyond all the violence in the world to the beauty of His creation, and not lose hope.  We can make this a kinder and more gentle world, if we want to.  It's in our power to do so.  We can choose to do no harm to our fellow human beings, the animals, and the environment in which we all live.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 09) This is another close up look at the quiet beauty of the daffodil.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 10) Accenting the edges of our wooded landscaping every spring, the daffodils welcome all who enter our driveway or walk.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 10a) This is another bee's eye view of the center of a daffodil.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 11) Each variety of daffodil add to the beauty of our early spring days.
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(Daffodil - Flower - 11a)  This is another close up look at the center of a daffodil.

Lamb-Right Lamb-Left Presented here are just a few of the countless components of God's creation.  Just as we cannot have human and animal life without water and plants, neither can we have lasting peace without love and compassion.  It is our hope and prayer that this series will motivate people to live and act in a cruelty-free manner; that we would no longer hurt or destroy each other, the animals or our environment.