Beltane was yesterday, it is a Gaelic May day festival marking the beginning of summer. Often marked with bonfires and rituals intended to appease the supernatural forces- to request their protection over herds, and to encourage new spring growth and fertility.

Though I did not manage to light any bonfires I did take a leisurely walk here in the city in order to pause and appreciate some new growth and contemplate the start of another season. If you look there are pockets of tenacious nature even in the most urban areas. Here are some quick photos I snapped yesterday on my walk(s). 🙂

A blanket of blue squill makes this no-man’s-land near my apartment building seem beautiful! Hundreds of tiny blue flowers fill the ground. Missed entirely by people passing on the busy sidewalk nearby. They’re so vibrant and unexpected, hidden in amongst city streets.

Daffodils! They’re such odd flowers, like fringed trumpets. Strange looking. But so bright and cheery!

These daffodils populate a hill in a park near my area. They don’t seem intentionally planted, no tilled soil or garden markings anywhere near them. Every spring I watch eagerly for their arrival in the park.

Buds on a tree (did not photograph well) but were vibrant and lovely against the dark sky! They are an ideal symbol for new life and transformation.

Happy spring!

-Taeden