60. Spring is in the air!

Petite daffodils, seen in Zurich last week.

Winter aconite

Winter aconite. Eranthis hyemalis. Südeuropäischer Winterling. Wiki entry here. Poisonous if consumed but valued for its early-spring appearance.

Overexposed but I'm posting it anyway. I'm eager for spring, as are these plants. I had a better photo last year: 20080216 Harbinger.

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Excursion: Arosa VI

One last look before we leave Arosa.

The white flowers are Ranunculus aconitifolius. Eisenhutblättriger hahnenfuss. Same family as those flowers known as buttercup and fair-maids-of-France. While the flowers are poisonous to cattle and taste bitter and cause blistering of the mouth so that they're generally left alone, they become safe to consume when they're dry (source).

The yellow flowers are probably from the same family but I didn't get any close up photos of them and am thus unable to identify them with any confidence.

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Wildflower 11: Trefoil

Lotus corniculatus. Gewöhnerlicher Hornklee. Supposed to be an important source of nectar for many insects and it also serves as good fodder material. I was so delighted by the butterfly that I've uploaded a larger-than-usual photo for this one. If you know what kind it is, please leave a comment with the information. Thanks!

Update: My local insider thinks the butterfly is a Pseudophilotes baton and that seems quite reasonable. Here's a website, in English, about European butterflies with some information and lots more photos.

20080612