Deep in Baoshan Forest Park in Dongguan, southern China, the distinctive Mucuna birdwoodiana is in bloom, adding another bright note to the city’s spring flower season and giving residents and visitors a place to enjoy the scenery and get closer to nature.

Thick vines climb through the forest, carrying clusters of yellow-green blossoms. Their curled petals resemble a small bird’s head, beak, wings, and tail, while the speckles on the flowers look like eyes. Seen from afar, they appear like flocks of birds resting in the trees. In the breeze, the blossoms sway as if thousands of birds are about to take flight.

In recent years, ongoing protection and scientific care have helped the wildflowers expand from the original 1.3 hectares to more than 2 hectares, becoming a vivid sign of the forest park’s ecological conservation efforts.