Sign of Spring

Maybe because of last week's spring-like temperatures, these snowdrops aside Phil and Mary Miller's North Hopewell Township home were blooming Sunday.

Miller says his snowdrops don't usually pop until late March, but this so far has been a warm and nearly snowless winter.

Snowdrops may have medicinal purposes, aside from being pretty and an uplifting sign of spring. This from England's Mail Online:

This small, white flower blooms in the late winter.
Traditional uses: Rub-on treatment for headaches, painkiller and poison antidote.
Modern uses: Reminyl, one of the main type of drugs used to treat mild to moderate dementia, is derived from galantamine, a compound found in snowdrop bulbs.
It helps increase levels of acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in the transmission of messages from nerve cells.
Alzheimer’s is associated with a drop in acetylcholine levels — galantamine stops or delays the decline, helping to maintain memory.
‘Galantamine was originally tested for use in conditions such as eye, gastric and heart disorders.
'It wasn’t until the Eighties that it was explored for potential benefits in dementia,’ says Dr Melanie-Jayne Howes of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.