Rananculus

-----

On Friday, April 3, I stopped by

Kroger for some groceries. As I

frequently do, I stopped by the floral

department to see the lovely plants

on display that week.

-----

To my surprise, there was a flower I

had only read about and seen in books:

RANANCULUS.

I agree: the name is unflattering,

but take a look at its beauty...

------

-----

From the above photo, starting in

the top left-hand corner and moving

clockwise, the colors in this batch

were yellow, magenta (with a white

one a little below its head), two

oranges, a red and what I've dubbed

peppermint.

-----

-----

Talk about striking color! Wow!

-----

-----

Typically, I'm much more a fan

of vibrant colors, but I'm smitten

with this "peppermint" one.

-----

-----

As it's grown, it's obvious that the

color is predominantly white,

fringed with a dark pink.

-----

-----

The magenta rananculus below

is shown a little further in its

development. In this photo it

appears red, but that's only true

in the absence of a true red.

-----

Likewise, the white one now

appears more cream colored.

-----

-----

The camera was not my friend

in the next shot. The red and

orange almost look identical,

which is not the case.

-----

-----

But probably the most

breathtaking color is this yellow

specimen. It must be tough

to be a springtime yellow

bloomer with so many daffodils

vying for attention.

-----

-----

This grouping has been a wonderful

springtime pick-me-up, especially

since this past week has been so

cool as we approached Easter.

-----

Although the leaves are starting to yellow

(even though the buds are still waiting

their turn to explode into color),

I'd pay $6.99 again for the joy this

rainbow of color has brought me...

-----