Spring has sprung! Well, perhaps we should say that here in the Napa Valley, spring is springing. We seem to have a long spring. The first blossoms of spring tend to pop up in late January or early February, with the Magnolia x soulangeana trees (sometimes called “Tulip Trees” in California, they are different than the Liliodendron, also known as Tulip Tree in other parts of the country. In truth, neither are tulips, both are in the Magnolia family, and this is why common names of plants can be rather confusing). By the end of February our orchards, fields, and flowerbeds offer a profusion of color, from the splendor of the almond and plum trees to the delicate explosion of blossoms on the crabapples, all dancing in the skies above fresias, crocus, and daffodils below. And, never mind the mustard. All the mustard. All the beautiful mustard.