For some reason, thousands of lights wrapped around sultry-weather palm trees…

don’t suggest Christmas or winter wonderland to me in quite the same way as a traditionally decorated evergreen.

A live oak decorated with oversized ornaments comes close,

but it’s still no match for the festive vibe that envelopes New York City during the holidays,

where everything is bigger…

and brighter.

Not that there’s anything wrong with lit palm trees.

Nevertheless, there is a tradition in Naples, Florida that dates back to 2009, when tiki torches first illuminated the town’s 170-acre botanical gardens.

Since then, the holiday light show has evolved to “to accentuate the plants themselves and their textures, silhouettes and natural beauty,” according to Ralph Klebosis, event productions manager.

While some of the displays were fascinating unto themselves…

photographing the event pulled me in a completely different direction after I noticed a pulsing plant projector.

If this event is about night lights, then why not capture the light source and paint with it, I mused? And so I did. The images are a product of serendipity, and represent a different take on Nights of Light.

All the same, artificial light could never improve on Mother Nature!