We love the garden at dusk, as the sun is dropping below the trees and the evening breezes begin to blow through the forest.
The light is soft and the air is cool.
Dusk is when our bats begin to fly. They come up from the ravine to feed; zig-zagging across the garden, across the rooftop, inhaling insects as they fly.
They come in twos and threes at first, and then little by little more fly up from the ravine as stars appear and the sky darkens.
The frogs begin to sing to one another around the pond.
It sounds like a cello and bass playing a slightly out of tune duet.
The cardinals’ staccato calls to one another provide the melody as they settle into the bamboo before nightfall.
Lightning bugs appear in the shrubs and tree lines first, then gradually venture out onto the lawn as night deepens.
They twinkle through the gathering darkness, a ballet of golden lights filling the air as trees recede into shadow.
We inhale the evening sweetness as gardenias and roses release their perfume.
The garden comes to life as darkness falls.
Bats replace birds; moths replace butterflies; toads replace the sleeping lizards, and dragonflies give way to lightning bugs.
The day’s work finished, we can simply walk through the garden one last time and enjoy the magic and beauty of it all.
Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014
Forest Garden 
I thoroughly enjoyed this post! Your photos and descriptions made it seem like I was right there with you. You observe they way I do and with the heat dissipating, it is the perfect time for a stroll of appreciation for the beauty you have created.
I’m a bit jealous of your having bats. Alas, our brown bat population has succumbed, I assume, to the dreaded white-nose fungus. So sad. I miss them.
Dear Eliza, So happy to know you enjoyed the post and would love for you to join us for an evening stroll around the garden! So wonderful when it cools enough to open a door and come outside for a while as darkness gathers. That is a shame that your bats have succumbed to the virus- we would miss them so much were ours to not appear one summer. Best wishes, WG
Oh wow, you have been busy, your garden looks wonderful! 🙂
Thank you, Michael. I love to see what the plants will do over the season. 😉
Looks to me like your efforts are well-rewarded. 🙂 Hooray for days and nights! Happy Monday!
Happy Monday, UT 😉 At the moment, nights are far more comfortable than the days! Best wishes, WG
Lovely post Woodland Gnome! I love seeing your beautiful pictures from your garden. Blessings to you, Sarah
Blessings to you, Sarah. I’ve really missed visiting your blog this last week, and look forward to catching up one day soon. I’ve been on the road and off line a lot with a family emergency. Thank you for visiting Forest Garden 😉 May all be well with you, WG