Marsh marigolds...wow they're early!

I had to make a drive cross country today, to Little Falls which is right smack dab in the middle of Minnesota. There are no major roads from here to there, just county backroads through miles and miles of rocky pastures, woodland, and marsh. It was kind of a gray dreary day, with intermittent rain showers, not the best weather for seeing things but I brought my binoculars just in case. I saw lots of kestrels and bluebirds and a few harriers, among other bird species. Then, along the ditch in a wooded area, I saw the first clumps of bright yellow blossoms...marsh marigolds! (Caltha palustris). This has to be the earliest I have ever seen them, at least since I've been keeping track of such things. I don't know if they are in bloom at Sand Creek yet, we're usually a little colder than everywhere else. I remember the first day we saw them last year, which had to be early May. I also saw some sort of small tree along the edge of woods in a few areas that was blooming with clusters of white flowers.