Garden for Wildlife™ Photo Contest

In October of 2018, I got an email from the editor of the National Wildlife Magazine letting me know my photo had taken First Place in the Backyard Habitats category of the annual photo contest. It was the first legit photo contest I’d ever entered, and I couldn’t believe I’d won.

Part of the prize package for this achievement was a print subscription to the National Wildlife Magazine. I love this publication! This magazine offers very informative articles about wildlife  conservation and habitat restoration plus it’s filled with spectacular imagery captured in the great outdoors. It has given me so many ideas and tips for expanding the native wildlife habitat I’ve been cultivating since my 2018 photo contest win. Taking the top prize specifically in the Backyard Habitat category filled me with such pride… we’d allowed a large section of pasture to grow in naturally, and the bright yellow golden rod and wild sunflowers filling the space attracted lots of bees and butterflies. That’s where I snapped the winning image.

But this area was also a decent walk to get to, and I wanted a smaller spot closer to home where I could watch all those colorful wings from my window. And I knew just where to put it – the sad patch of earth where the vegetable garden struggled each summer was about to get a happy makeover. It was steps away from existing purple butterfly bushes, yellow coreopsis flowers and red coneflowers as well as pine and maple trees… a perfect location for a smaller-scale wildlife habitat. The next step was to figure out what plants I needed and where to get them. Enter the Illinois Native Plant Society.

This organization is dedicated to the study, appreciation, and conservation of the native flora and natural communities of Illinois. Prior to the pandemic in 2020, the Central Chapter held an annual plant sale at the Illinois State Fairgrounds where hundreds (if not thousands) of people moved through lines hoping to grab some of the locally-raised flora. We knew plants would sell out quickly, so in 2019 we arrived early and grabbed some of the “Attracting Monarchs / Swallowtails / Hummingbirds” one-sheets at the door before making a beeline for the milkweed, bergamot, cardinal flower, liatris, bee balm, joe pye and coneflowers.

It was so exciting to imagine what my garden was turning into! Even though these were fairly young plants, they still grew in nicely for the 2019 season. I couldn’t wait to see how they would grow the next year! As I waited for the spring of 2020 to unfold, I read up on The National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program. I added some dedicated feeders and a fresh water source to fulfill the requirements for certifying my habitat and submitted my application. 

Once the warm rays of sunshine started hitting the ground in April of 2020, my plants quickly emerged! I filled in the bare patches around the plants with a seed mix of zinnias, marigolds, larkspurs, cosmos, nasturtium, and poppies. My wonderful husband tilled in a horseshoe shaped area nearby dedicated to growing several varieties of sunflowers (my personal favorite).

As the flowers started to bloom, it was like looking at a rainbow carpet. It wasn’t long before winged visitors floated in to sip nectar and take shelter among the plants. I was stunned by the number of Monarch butterflies flitting through the flowers every day – sometimes up to eight at a time! They were particularly fond of the purple liatris planted near my Certified Wildlife Habitat sign. With the pandemic keeping me at home, I had lots of time to enjoy the habitat. I spent many peaceful and tranquil moments among the flowers, birds, bees and butterflies… I must have taken thousands of pictures that summer. 

As the flowers started to bloom, it was like looking at a rainbow carpet. It wasn’t long before winged visitors floated in to sip nectar and take shelter among the plants. I was stunned by the number of Monarch butterflies flitting through the flowers every day – sometimes up to eight at a time! They were particularly fond of the purple liatris planted near my Certified Wildlife Habitat sign. With the pandemic keeping me at home, I had lots of time to enjoy the habitat. I spent many peaceful and tranquil moments among the flowers, birds, bees and butterflies… I must have taken thousands of pictures that summer, but these were some of my favorites…

I’ve entered my nature photos in the National Wildlife Magazine photo contest every year since that initial win in 2018. I’ve also entered the NWF’s Garden for Wildlife photo contest as well. I never really believed I could win again – I felt I’d already had my time in the spotlight. But I truly appreciate the efforts of the National Wildlife Federation, so spending $20 to submit 10 photo entries to the contest is well worth the cost to support this worthwhile organization.

“The National Wildlife Federation, America’s largest and most trusted conservation organization, works across the country to unite Americans from all walks of life in giving wildlife a voice. We’ve been on the front lines for wildlife since 1936, fighting for the conservation values that are woven into the fabric of our nation’s collective heritage.” 

You can imagine my surprise when I got an email in January of 2021 letting me know I’d won again – this time in the Certified Wildlife Habitat category of the 2020 Garden for Wildlife photo contest. More than 4,800 photos were received in the contest, and my shot of Monarchs near my CWH sign stood out through three rounds of judging. (Never say never, am I right?!)

Part of the prize package for this contest was a gift certificate to the Botanical Interests seed store, which I used to secure this amazing collection of seeds, just in time for planting… once we haul out the tiller and widen the space around the habitat to accommodate all this new flora!

It really is an honor to not only win a photo contest, but to also be featured and recognized by a publication and organization I personally love and support. When I started taking pictures decades ago of random people, places and things, I never anticipated my lens would become so focused on elements in nature. But I’ve since discovered that being in the Great Outdoors with camera in hand is my absolute favorite place to be.