It is a rite of spring... ...bringing in branches of Forsythia buds to force to bloom indoors in a vase on the mantle. The flowers that bloom from the earliest buds brought inside are a much paler yellow, with a slight tinge of green, than those of buds let to mature a little longer in the sun. Those are the blooms that are my favorite color of spring, the bright and cheery goldenrod of Forsythia can be spotted a mile away.