Monday, June 24, 2013

In The Night Garden

Twilight is the illumination that is produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, illuminating the lower atmosphere when the Sun itself is not directly visible because it is below the horizon, so that the surface of the Earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. I enjoy discovering. I always believed twilight was a poet's expression for evening, for a magical time between day and night, when shadows crept in, and stars might appear. But scientists are poets, too, and they have some very specific notions about twilight, and dusk, and now I know that I was racing against the sun's arrival at 18 degrees below the horizon, when twilight's brightness would be nearly zero.

I enjoy the garden after sunset, the night garden.
Our last, whole, pumpkin. I think we should carve it, tonight, with a fire going, and the super moon glowing.

Our pumpkin patch, under the care of our lantern. We eagerly anticipate the new pumpkins.

And sunflowers, and cucumbers, and green beans, too.

These marigolds are the sentries, guarding the tomatoes through the night.

The marigolds have many night marauders to fight off.

Benjamin, too, is a night watchman, patrolling the garden, stepping silently across the lawn, and around the planters, garden beds, tools, and sprouts. No mice dare cross his steady gaze.

Only the goats and rabbits are out now... they begin their frolics and moon dances.

But in the coop, the hens are still, roosting quietly, waiting for the sun to return.

Penny, Debbie, Shebot and Kamen take the high roost, and won't leave their spots until morning.

For children, and kittens, like rabbits and goats, this twilight moment is a time for more play.

Dusk... the darkest stage of twilight evening. The jacaranda at its finest, still full of blossoms and green leaves. A summer night in the garden is a beautiful place beneath this tree...

... beneath this moon.

5 comments:

Rachy said...

What a lovely post :) x

Janece said...

Reading this post is like floating in a lovely dream, Natalie.

ArtyZen said...

Super post for a night of a super moon. It's the word 'dusk' I like best. Dusk and dusky. Janece says it beautifully - your post is like floating in a lovely dream.
Axxx

Jennifer said...

Wonderous and wonderful; thinking of you there, floating gracefully among all the special places in your special gardens and yard.....

judy in ky said...

What a wonderful sleepy, cozy place you have there with all the animals (and children) settling down for the night.