Milky Way Over Indian Paintbrush Meadow in Cloudy Quito

Soft, diffused light from a post-rain midday settles over a forest floor lined with vibrant green ferns near La Ronda in Quito. Clusters of Indian paintbrush flowers rise from the damp earth, their red and orange bracts glowing against the muted greens of early autumn foliage. Above, the sky holds a heavy blanket of dramatic gray and white clouds, yet a luminous band of the Milky Way cuts clearly through the daylight, arching high and wide. The starlight appears as a solid, textured ribbon of silver dust, indistinguishable from the atmospheric haze. Fern fronds curl at the edges, wet and dark, framing the colorful wildflowers in the foreground. One dewdrop on a fern tip reflects the impossible silver band of stars hanging directly overhead.