Hello Coltsfoot :)

A harbinger of Spring, I found this patch of Coltsfoot (or Tussilago) along the side of the road a couple of weeks ago, but today the flowers looked so perky and bright I just had to stop and take a few photos.
Coltsfoot is a member of the daisy family and its flowers closely resemble the dandelion at first glance; however this perennial appears much earlier in Spring than the dandelion.
Historically, Coltsfoot has been used in herbal medicine internally and externally for the treatment of respiratory illnesses, skin and viral infections, flu, colds and fever.
For me, I am just pleased to see these little bits of sunshine blooming along the roadway because that is an indication to me that Spring has, indeed, sprung.

"The spring is sprung, The grass is ris, I wonder where the birdies is."

~ The New Mexico Folklore Record: Volume 6