May We All Vibe Like This Buffalo Relaxing on Wildflowers Inside SF’s Golden Gate Park

During the last super bloom event that graced San Francisco, the bison paddock inside SF’s Golden Gate Park was painted with wildflowers.

Nature is healing. Nature is also a whole vibe — a wavelength this bison in Golden Gate Park is happy to ebb and flow with, shown above resting atop a blanket of bright wildflowers. It’s this serene, no-fucks-to-give energy we want to carry into this weekend.

Provided by photographer David Cruz, the snap was taken almost two years ago when he was walking through Golden Gate Park.

Photo: Courtesy of David Cruz

“I photographed this American Bison relaxing in the super wildflower bloom in the bison paddock on the west side of Golden Gate Park,” he told me. “I wanted to share this pleasant photo of the bison relaxing amongst the yellow mustard, purple thistle, white hemlock, and yellow lupin because we all need to be that level of calm. This appears to be an older bull based on the wide head and thick vertical horns.”

The Golden Gate Park Bison Paddock — an area that’s been home to bison herds since the 1890s — experienced a hyperlocal super bloom inside its enclosed perimeter in May of 2021. Cruz noted that there are “yellow, white, purple flowers, and lots of green” in the area now, thanks to the sudden appearance of these wildflowers. (And because of this influx of pollinating bees buzzing around the paddock, hungry birds are crisscrossing the area, making it an exceptional moment to go do some seriously good birdwatching.)

“I watch these buffalo lots and it’s a treat and rare to see them relaxing on the ground like this enjoying the park,” Cruz added. “Right now the bison are shedding their shaggy fur getting them ready for the hot summer sun.”

May we all find this level of relaxation we aspire to as we start heading into Hot Non-Binary Summer.


Feature Image: Courtesy of David Cruz

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