Twilight in the Tallgrass

“Twilight drops her curtain down and pins it with a star.” — Lucy Maud Montgomery

Come with me. Let’s take a hike on the prairie at twilight.

See how the slant of sunlight shapes shadows on the leaves.

How the prairie dock forms a backdrop for wild hyacinths; a contrast of  leather and lace.

 

Soft impressionistic clouds of prairie dropseed light up as the sun slips beyond the horizon.

 

At twilight, you notice the beauty of the back of a wild geranium, which looked so ordinary earlier in the day.

 

You stand, astonished. And then, one by one, the stars come out, casting their star-shadows…

 

You wait, and see a shooting star, or two, or three…

 

 

Crazy constellations of flowers twirl across the grasses….

 

…and galaxies of petals swirl their pollinating passengers.

 

You think about your life, as you contemplate the play of light and dark.

 

So much to see and think about, if you hike the tallgrass at twilight.

All photos copyright Cindy Crosby, taken at the Schulenberg Prairie, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle,  IL:  trail through the prairie; prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) and wild hyacinths (Camassia scilloides); prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis); wild geranium (Geranium maculatum); starry Solomon’s seal (Smilacina stellata); shooting stars, (Dodecatheon meadia); golden Alexander (Zizia aurea); wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis); prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum).

The opening quote is by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables and its numerous sequels. She did most of her writing at twilight.