July 2026 Reading: Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion

You're invited to participate in the Wilderness Reading Group, led by the Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance (IPWA). We delve into topics related to the outdoors, nature, and wilderness through reading, contemplation, and discussion - with a new book pick every other month!

For July 2026, we're reading the book Night Magic: Adventures among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and other Marvels of the Dark by Leigh Ann Henion

On this imperiled planet, nature’s magic still exists, often in the places we least expect it.

Night Magic is a glorious celebration of the dark! New York Times bestselling nature writer Leigh Ann Henion makes the case for embracing night as a profoundly beautiful part of the world we inhabit—and she invites us to leave our well-lit homes and step outside. It turns out we don’t have to go far to find marvels: We are surrounded by animals that rise with the moon, gigantic moths, and nocturnal blooms that reveal themselves, incrementally, as light fades. In her quest to know night with greater intimacy, Henion travels through forests alight with bioluminescent mushrooms and mountain valleys teeming with migratory salamanders. She ventures into the dark alongside naturalists, biologists, primitive-skills experts, and others who’ve dedicated their lives to cultivating relationships with darkness and the creatures who depend on it.

Every page of this lyrical book feels like an opportunity to ask: How did I not know about this before? For example, we learn that it can take hours, not minutes, for human eyes to reach full night vision capacity. And that there are thousands of firefly species on earth, each with flash patterns as unique as fingerprints—with one million tourists making pilgrimages to witness synchronous fireflies every year. In this age of increasing artificial light, Night Magic is an invitation to focus on the biodiversity that surrounds us. We do not need to stargaze into the distant cosmos or to dive into the depths of oceans to find awe in the dark—when we reclaim night, dazzling wonders can be found in our own backyards.

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 Discussion Questions

1. The author encourages us to reconsider dark as a place of respite and abundant life, rather than a void.  How does this resonate with you?

2. How did the book, and reading about Henion’s explorations of glowworms, moon gardens, and nocturnal blooms, alter your relationship with the night?

3. Henion dives deep into the ways light pollution affects wildlife, such as moths, bats, and fireflies.  What surprised you the most about how ecosystems operate in the dark?

4. In modern society, darkness is often associated with danger or the unknown. How does the book challenge these negative connotations and frame the night as a place of necessary rest and flourishing life?

5. The book acts as a call to turn off unnecessary lights and embrace the natural dark. Did reading this memoir inspire you to make any changes in your own home or neighborhood regarding lighting?

6. Did you have any favorite passages from the book? Here are some quotes from the book to reflect on:

   
   

“Instead of using less energy after switching to LED lights, people have, the world over, started using even more energy for ever-brighter illumination, as if we’ve collectively decided that, since the light is energy-efficient, we might as well produce more of it.”

“It’s well documented that bacterium in soil can boost moods, maybe as effectively as antidepressant drugs. While light therapy plays a role in increasing serotonin and has long been used to combat seasonal affective disorder with morning exposure, researchers have started sounding warnings that being exposed to artificial light at night warrants more attention for its contribution to rising rates of mood disorders.”

“We are surrounded by land with memories longer than our own. These flowers are of lineages that were growing before I was conceived. They will, hopefully, outlast me with their new-moon faces, in perpetuity.”

“We have the ability to see this tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum,” he says. “Because that’s all we can see, we tend to think that’s all there is. But there’s so much more.”

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You're invited to participate in the Wilderness Reading Group, led by the Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance (IPWA). We delve into topics related to the outdoors, nature, and wilderness through reading, contemplation, and discussion. We'll gain a deeper understanding of wilderness through fiction and non-fiction selections, including works by renowned authors such as Aldo Leopold, Timothy Egan, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Wallace Stegner, Terry Tempest Williams, Edward Abbey, E.O. Wilson, and others. Check out past readings on our Blog Reading list!

The reading group meets every other month, in person, in Boulder, Colorado. All are welcome (IPWA and the general public). Please RSVP. Even if you haven't finished the book selection, feel free to join us for informal conversations where we reflect on the book, answer discussion questions, and foster connections with each other.

These books are widely available at local libraries, online library apps (such as Libby), bookstores (including our favorite local independent bookstore, Boulder Bookstore), and online retailers.

Please consider joining us for an upcoming Reading Group gathering at the Rayback Collective, in Boulder, CO! We'll share our reflections about the book and our own experiences. All are welcome (IPWA and the general public). If the weather is good, we'll be at one of the picnic tables in the courtyard. Beverages and food are available from the Rayback Collection and various rotating food trucks.

Check out our Events page for upcoming dates!

Thursday July 23rd, 2026 - Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion - 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Reading Group Gathering at the Rayback Collective in Boulder, Colorado - RSVP here