As yellow and white dot a small field in Dartmouth and the nearby streams bring tranquil sounds of flowing water — the algorithms of TikTok, Facebook and Instagram alike have brought hundreds of new guests to what was formerly a hidden gem.

Every spring the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust welcomes thousands out into the woods of Dartmouth just along Destruction Brook to see the daffodils bloom. The flowers were planted by Raymond Pettey in the 1940s, during World War II. 

Daffodil rangers guard the fragile flowers, inform guests and direct traffic as 2025 marks 20 years since the reserve was donated by William Parsons. 

Daffodil ranger Nathan Bean has spent his whole life at the reserve and was in the parking lot on Horseneck Road helping ease the flow of guests. Bean emphasized history and environmental science for the influx of new visitors.

“I think the 27 different types of daffodils are crucial,” he said. “They cross pollinate and the reserve is a whole microbiome — you have snakes, and raptors that come in and eat those. You have rodents and the raptors eat those too.”

Mary-Ellen Boyle is a new daffodil ranger this year, however, she is no stranger to the reserve as a Dartmouth resident. Standing at the entrance to the field she counted guests, took donations and said she was happy to see so many people enjoying the space.

Parsons Reserve has dipped their toes into the social media realm — educating people about the daffodils. Many come from social media thinking the field is larger than it is.

“It’s great to have influencers who are not associated with us,” Boyle said. “It does sometimes have inaccuracies or people’s expectations are a little bit off.”

One influencer who many visitors said inspired them to see the blooms is Ashley Garner who posted a Tiktok about the reserve. Daffodil ranger Ellen Nelson often gets asked to take photos for guests — she said Garner’s video has brought many people out.

“I don’t use social media but I’ve been saying to young people, ‘Oh you should come to Dartmouth and see the daffodils,’ and they all know what I’m talking about,” she said.

Nelson said she’s shocked at how many people have said it’s their first time seeing the flowers. As a ranger for three years, she said it’s special to see so many different age ranges.

“This is just such a very unique place,” Nelson said. “Occasionally on a warm day, there’s a fragrance that is just so sweet but not too sweet. It’s just a fun place to hang and I’m always curious where people come from.”

For sisters Lisa Madara of Westport and Jennifer Pitassi who is visiting from South Carolina — they didn’t need social media to bring them out. The pair used to spend their summers visiting their aunt and uncle in Dartmouth and came out to see the bench that was donated in their memory. 

“They had a farm on Horseneck Road and I would spend a week or two there every summer,” Madara said. “I come here every season and enjoy the daffodils. I was just so pleasantly surprised when my mother told me that there was a bench for my uncle Frank and my aunt Celeste."

Pitassi said she loved how many flowers were spread out around the field. 

“It’s the intensity of them up here that is absolutely gorgeous and to go through the woods and all of a sudden come across this road — it is just beautiful to see a single color so intensely,” she said.

Parsons Reserve is open from sunrise to sunset year round, and takes $5 donations to go and see the daffodils. The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust has a daffodil tracker that is updated daily with the percentage of bloom the field is in.