On March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day or la Festa della Donna. As a symbol of respect and appreciation, Sicilians and Italians give sprigs of mimosa trees, like this one I photographed in Castelveltrano, Sicily to the women in their lives. The yellow blooms of mimosa appear this time of year in warmer regions of the Italian peninsula and Sicily.

International Women’s Day gives us reason to pause and recognize women workers, past and present, from around the world and their contributions to our society. Take time to thank a woman in your life, even if you don’t have any mimosa to give!