The orchard sky was still dark, true night, no hint of light.


It was good Friday. The Pink Moon had risen two nights before, the same day Artemis II launched.


By then, the Orion spacecraft had already passed around the far side of the moon and was on its return trip home.


The moon hung bright, its face washed out by reflected sun. I carried a red-light lantern to preserve my night vision as I moved between the rows.


Mist lingered in the air amplifying the moonlight. Fog season nearing its end, humidity taking its place. The air was still.

Full moon glowing brightly through dark silhouetted tree branches on a misty night.

As my eyes adjusted, the crickets formed a chorus, many voices blending into one. A rooster broke through, announcing what had not yet arrived.


The orchard became a world of silhouettes.

Moonlit night sky with glowing full moon through hazy clouds above dark silhouetted tree branches.
Dark silhouette of wild plants and trees against a dim night sky in a moody outdoor nature scene.
Full moon glowing behind dark silhouetted tropical plant leaves against a moody night sky.

Peach branches etched themselves against the sky. Palms in the neighboring field, usually overlooked, stood in sharp relief, fronds fanned out like blackened feathers.

Dark silhouettes of palm trees and tropical plants against a night sky in a moody, atmospheric outdoor scene.
Full moon glowing behind dark silhouetted tree branches at night, creating a dramatic and moody nature scene.

In the discard pile sat a full tree that had been removed from the orchard. A loss from the freeze.


Its bare limbs now the home of spiders.

Bare tree branches silhouetted against a dark night sky with a glowing full moon creating an eerie atmosphere.
Bare tree branches silhouetted against a misty gray sky with a glowing moon at night.

At the far edge of the field where there had only been dirt before, something had changed. The ground was covered, but indistinct.


Small points of light dotted the surface. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and I paused for a moment to observe.

Silhouetted trees against a dark twilight sky over a dimly lit field at dusk.

Up close the shape reveled itself – sunflowers. Large waxy leaves holding dew. Each droplet catching the moonlight, reflecting it back in fragments.


What my eyes perceived, my camera could not quite hold.  


With so little light, my camera hit its maximum ISO of 25,600. The result rendered the dew drops almost like bioluminescence, a green glow.

Dark atmospheric close-up of soil or ground texture with scattered light particles visible in dim lighting.
Close-up of a dark green leaf with spots and damage visible in low light conditions.
Dark moody agricultural field at dusk with lush green crops and silhouetted trees in the background.
Dark night scene with glowing sparks and light trails creating a magical bokeh effect in a forest setting.

Astronomical dawn came quietly, the first hints of blue on the horizon. With it came the mosquitoes. I was their prey.


The stars caught my attention as I looked up. To my eyes they were white, to my camera they fractured into colors of white, yellow, blue, green, and purple.

Silhouettes of trees against a dark night sky in a serene outdoor landscape.
Dark night sky filled with faint stars and a deep teal hue, perfect for astronomy and stargazing backgrounds.
Silhouetted tree branches against a dark night sky with a glowing full moon visible through the leaves.

The moon held its place as the sky shifted. With nautical dawn cam warmth, subtle at first.


The crickets quieted, all but one insistent voice chirping loudly in a bush.

Silhouetted trees against a twilight sky at dusk with soft blue and orange hues on the horizon.
Dark silhouette of leafy plant branches against a moody twilight sky at dusk.
Silhouette of bare tree branches against a glowing full moon in a dark night sky.
Full moon glowing brightly behind silhouetted tropical plant leaves against a dark night sky.

The color.


Oranges and pinks spread along the horizon. Near the moon, the sky a deep royal blue.

Silhouetted trees against a twilight sky with warm orange and blue hues at sunset.
Silhouette of corn plants against a colorful dusk sky at sunset in a farm field.
Silhouetted trees against a pink and purple dusk sky at twilight.
Full moon glowing through silhouetted tree branches against a dark blue night sky.

At the midpoint in the sky between day and night, cool blues collided with pinks and oranges, both holding equal ground. A moment hung in balance.


Then movement.


The birds started to awake. First crows, then the turkeys. A kettle of swallow-tailed kites circled overhead as the light strengthened.

Silhouetted trees against a dramatic cloudy dusk sky over a dark rural field at twilight.
Silhouetted trees against a dramatic dusk sky with clouds and birds flying overhead in a serene landscape.
Dark silhouette of a flowering branch with small buds and leaves against a blurred dusky background.

I stayed through golden hour, watching the familiar return.


My body beginning to tire.

Green treetops sway against a soft blue sky with pink-tinged clouds at dusk.
A ripe peach hanging on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves in a natural orchard setting.
A lone black cow grazes in a golden sunlit field at sunrise with misty trees in the background.
Two small round green fruits resting on dark soil, with a tiny insect visible on the closest fruit.