crocuses are one oif the first flowers of spring and these ones are relatives of the crocus famed for the production of Saffron. the most expensive spice in the world.

the crocus responsible for saffron though blooms in fall unlike the ones we are more familiar with.

Interestingly the area i am in is a minor producing area of the spice (this i did not know til just a few minutes ago :) )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:S.....production.png you will note the area of california and Pennsylvania (where i live) are highlighted as producing areas of this country. Most is grown in Iran

also things of interest
A pound of dry saffron (0.45 kg) requires 50,000–75,000 flowers, the equivalent of a football field's area of cultivation.

documentation of saffron's use over the span of 4,000 years in the treatment of some 90 illnesses has been uncovered

Saffron-based pigments have been found in 50,000 year-old depictions of prehistoric beasts in what is today Iraq

Europeans brought saffron to the Americas when immigrant members of the Schwenkfelder Church left Europe with a trunk containing saffron corms; indeed, many Schwenkfelders had widely grown saffron in Europe. By 1730, the Pennsylvania Dutch were cultivating saffron throughout eastern Pennsylvania.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron

Again note that the ones pictured are not saffron crocuses. however i believe they can still be used for dyes and the like.