September 2024 Backyard Bulletin

View the full edition at this link. Cover Photo by Bridger Layton.

Oh September, I do love you! This month is the epitome of having your cake and eating it, too. You're telling me I can sip hot coffee in a sweater in the morning, enjoy a sunny alpine hike midday, then harvest tomatoes in a t-shirt in the evening? Balance and abundance are sometimes competing concepts, but the coming of the equinox creates space for both to coexist. It's a time of year that serves a little bit of so many things, and too much of nothing. A little summer heat lingers - just the right amount. A touch of winter's cool flows through at night - just the right amount. The evenings offer enough light for projects and recreation, but not so much that we forget to rest and gather with loved ones. Mid-summer I bemoan the sunrise shining bright light long before I'm ready. Mid-winter I bemoan sunset ushering the evening away with a sometimes cruel swiftness. At the equinox, I savor it all: every drop of light, the final flowers blooming, the fresh foods yet to frost, and the unmatched comfort of a 70 degree day.

- Bridger Layton, Education Programs Coordinator