This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** Welcome to the Bright Side, a weekly roundup of all the good news and ideas you might have missed from the past week. We’ve reached peak peony, y’all! Serving prime basic babe energy, summer’s lush pink peonies are flooding gardens and farmers markets across the U.S. My little shiplap-n-shabby chic heart can barely handle those delicate ruffled petals and sweet, citrusy fragrance. I’ll be living for $2-per-stem at Trader Joe’s until the last blooming minute. But if I lived near the University of Michigan, I would be Instagramming the heck outta the 10,000 blush blooms at the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden right now. The most expansive collection of peonies in the nation provides the most romantic floral backdrop for a vibey English garden picnic, a watercolor painting session, or a casual stroll through the grassy grounds. Hello, did you know you can eat peony petals? Because I didn’t! Named after the French stage actress, ridiculously fluffy Sarah Bernhardt blooms infuse jellies, jams, cookies, and tea. Maybe TJ’s should stock a few peonies in the snack aisle. An adorable baby elephant doing baby elephant stuff Adding to my eternal fascination with elephants and their gentle giant energy, an endangered Thai Asian elephant was just born at the Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England. And at 3.3 feet tall and 243 pounds, he’s cute as a (really big) button.  A baby Asian elephant made his debut at a UK zoo on Wednesday at just two days old. On the eve of the FIFA World Cup, the baby boy was given a ball to play with and could be seen attempting a few dribbles and investigating with his trunk. pic.twitter.com/ExczEmk16y — The Associated Press (@AP) June 11, 2026 He has the fuzzy-haired, wrinkly forehead of an old man, but this little guy represents a hopeful future for his species. His older sister Nang Phaya was also raised by their attentive mother Donna (sounding like a ’90s butter mom). The baby of the family is in good hands. He has yet to be named, but just hours after being born, he was already trotting around and testing out his legs. Elephants technically walk on their tippy toes, but considering how well this lil fella already dribbles a ball, I’m thinking he could be named after famous Thai footballer Chanathip Songkrasin. Often compared to Lionel Messi, the soccer icon also goes by “Messi Jay.” Thank you for coming to my baby elephant-naming TedTalk.  Analog pride with an epic celebration of pencils If you’re into trad Punxsutawney Phil, you’re gonna love Minneapolis couple John and Amy Higgins’ annual pencil-sharpening festival every June. Never has “No. 2” had a more wholesome association.