Ornate Daffodil Coloring Page

Ornate Daffodil Coloring Page transforms the daffodil into a richly decorative design element — an ornamental interpretation that draws as much from the traditions of Victorian wallpaper, Art Nouveau pattern and illuminated manuscript as from botanical illustration. Part of our free flower coloring pages collection, this page rewards bold, jewel-toned color with spectacular results.

The daffodil has been a symbol of spring's return for thousands of years — but it entered the literary imagination most powerfully through William Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (1807), inspired by a mass of daffodils he and his sister Dorothy encountered at Ullswater in the Lake District. "Ten thousand saw I at a glance, / Tossing their heads in sprightly dance." In Welsh tradition, the daffodil is the national flower, worn on St. David's Day (1 March). In ancient Greek mythology, the daffodil is named for Narcissus, the youth who fell in love with his own reflection and was transformed into a flower — giving us the word "narcissism." The daffodil is also the symbol of cancer charities in several countries, sold in the millions each year to fund cancer research.

The daffodil's distinctive two-part structure — the flat, star-like "perianth" of six petals surrounding the central trumpet-shaped "corona" — offers a beautiful coloring opportunity. The corona (trumpet) is typically deeper and more vivid in color than the surrounding petals: rich golden orange for classic daffodils, apricot or deep coral for some varieties. The perianth petals are cooler and lighter, often a clean lemon-yellow or cream-white. Let the trumpet be your color statement; the petals provide the backdrop. The long, elegant stems and strap-like leaves are a clean, cool blue-green.

Ornate floral designs invite the richest, most ambitious color treatments: jewel tones that would overwhelm a simple botanical illustration work magnificently in a decorative context. Deep sapphire blue, emerald, ruby and amethyst all suit an ornate daffodil treatment. Gold gel pen or metallic pencil used on the decorative border details and accent elements adds a gilded quality that transforms a coloring page into something approaching an illuminated manuscript. Consider the entire page as a unified decorative object rather than a botanical subject; the daffodil is the motif through which a broader aesthetic vision is expressed. This ornate coloring page is completely free to download as a print-ready PDF. A completed page, framed and mounted, makes genuinely beautiful decorative art. Free, always.