I stopped at the gate. Rain drilled on my hood; the wind soughed through the telegraph wires. From the farm, the tethered collie barked. Nearer to me, a pair of crows conferred, while a couple of fields away horses sighed. A miserable, bitter winter’s day. I was about to go on my way when I saw the snowdrops. Despite the sodden day, I smiled. Snowdrops are one of the most popular of all plants, and one of the few wild flowers that most of us recognise.