Twelve Pictures of the Months: 2. The February Picture | Yoshimura Kokei 吉村孝敬 | 1769-1836

The February motif can be interpreted symbolically as an image of hope for "becoming," for the "breaking of spring," etc. Warabi ferns are sprouting, which are also considered in poetry to be early harbingers of reawakening in spring. However, the emptiness surrounding the plants still hints at the cold of winter. The bird is presumably a lark, whose song also suggests the joys of spring.