Postcard No. 5 – Wandering in Golden Light
Taking in one final moment with an evening walk at sunset.
Hello my lovelies! I hope this little note finds you well. Today’s entry comes a bit out of order chronologically, as it references the night of June 8, 2026. It has taken me some time to decide what to write about and there is an added layer of emotional attachment that also played a role in my writing process. Again, if you are new here, then welcome to Seasonfold! A nature journal that centers on experiencing the minor seasonal changes that are slowly unfolding all around us. My name is Amy Earls. The artist, designer, naturalist and creative behind this publication. Please join me for this Connecticut edition postcard as I go wandering at golden hour.
June 8, 2026
It was my last night in Connecticut (of this June 2026 trip). Evening was closing in. I decided to step away for a bit and go for one final walk by myself. I was immediately rewarded for following my intuition. The timing could not have been more perfect. The glow of the setting sun illuminated the hayfield, turning it from green to gold. Transformed by dramatic light, the landscape looked even more lovely than usual.
However, from this location I couldn’t see the sun itself, so I retraced my steps and went the opposite way across the street. There it was, a giant golden orb hanging above the horizon, casting long shadows across the grass. An old maple tree was backlit by this warm light, and so I took my time to photograph it. I walked in the line of its giant shadow, the massive trunk blocking the sun from hitting my face and blinding me. Stepping closer and then farther back, trying to get the perfect shot to encapsulate the moment.
Sugar Maple
The tree in question is a mature sugar maple (Acer sacarum)1. It’s bark is heavily plated and pale grey in color. The kind of weathered look that only comes with age. This particular tree has been standing here my entire life. I played beneath it’s branches in my childhood, gathering sticks and frolicking in the shady grass, as my grandmother tended to the lawn. So many of the other old trees on the property are gone now, but this one remains.
Time to Go
Soon enough my sister called to me and we went off together to visit the cats she was fostering. As I walked away, it felt the tiniest bit sad. Knowing that the light of golden hour would soon fade. That the wheel of time is forever turning. I felt comforted knowing that I got some good pictures, but as you might imagine, this moment has lingered in my mind. It was truly a wonderous sight to behold.
Far Away
The next morning I stepped out of the airport, 900 miles away from the place I had been only hours before, to be greeted by heat, humidity, and a gentle mist. The hydrangeas at the departure pickup area were blooming, fluffy white pompoms for all to see. Summer had arrived in Cincinnati while I was away.
Regardless of where I am, I will carry the memory of that sunset with me into the coming months. If time were a destination, I would have liked to linger in that place a little longer. Sometimes the light just hits you differently than it did before.
I hope if you are given the chance, you will chose to take a walk at sunset and watch the green turn to gold.
“Nature’s first green is gold,
— Robert Frost
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.”
If you made it this far, thank you so very much for reading. All of the images presented in this post were taken by me, Amy Earls, at my family farm in Connecticut, using an iPhone 17e. This post has proven to be most difficult to finish, as reminiscing over that evening makes me intensely emotional at times. I hope you will understand when I say, sometimes it’s okay to love something so much that it hurts.
If you enjoyed reading this Postcard entry, please consider some other posts from this series. Or perhaps share Seasonfold with a like-minded friend! Best wishes and happy reading!
Postcard No.1 – Waiting for Rain
Postcard No. 2 – Watching the Evening Sky
Postcard No. 3 – A Strawberry Outing
Postcard No. 4 – Looking for Fireflies
- UConn Plant Database – https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu/detail.php?pid=24 ↩︎