As winter lets go of its grip,  pasque flowers are one of the first wildflowers to bloom.  They’re diminutive and small, perhaps only 5 inches tall, and they generally thrive in gravel prairie areas.  In Minnesota these prairie areas are not common, however there is a glacial outwash area near the Cannon River south of the Twin Cities that has the perfect conditions for these harbingers of spring.  I ventured down last week at late afternoon and was thrilled to find them in peak bloom.  Their delicacy was made more evident by the backlighting that occurred as the sun was starting to set in the west.  Their brilliance is my cue that winter will not last forever, and the flowers that grace our area, even for a very short period of time, are worth celebrating and appreciating.