What better place than Sherwood Gardens to enjoy the resurrection of spring. The six-acre park has been the go-to place for nature lovers since the 1930s when John W. Sherwood allowed the public to visit the gardens near his Guilford home.

Usually peaking at the end of April or early May, the gardens were ablaze this afternoon in a mass of color that seemed to encompass the rainbow, the spectroscope and the Fabergé Easter egg – loud oranges and yellows, bleeding reds, imperial purples, oriental ivories, wild Irish emeralds and blushing pinks – all framed against a cloudless blue sky.

Sherwood is famous for the 80,000 or so tulips that are planted under the supervision of the Guilford Association, which acquired the park following Sherwood’s death in 1965.

Here are a few of the sights we saw today, joined by a legion of strollers and picnickers:

By the way, after the tulips finish their seasonal performance, the bulbs are dug up and new ones planted to keep the following year’s blooms looking top-notch.

The gardens are located at Stratford Road and Greenway, one block east of St. Paul Street. They are open year-around and cost nothing to enjoy.