We had hundreds of stunning entries in this year’s contest! By submitting their photos, these photographers are helping Wild Ones further its mission. Wild Ones uses contest images in publications, promotional materials, presentations, and on our websites to inspire others to learn about native plants and natural landscaping.
We were proud to have the 2025 Photo Contest judged by the following volunteers:
- Jill Easton – Award-winning freelance outdoor photographer and writer who specializes in images of bugs, bobcats, and pollinator plants.
- Sandi Ford – Professional photographer and native plant enthusiast.
- Nancy House – Artist and photographer with a Ph.D. in Visual Arts & Education.
- Holly Latteman – Wild Ones National Board Director and Science & Conservation Manager at The Dawes Arboretum.
- Susan Nelson – Professional artist, certified naturalist, retired outdoor STEM educator, and native plant gardener.
- Suzanne Langley – Nonprofit management consultant and conservation gardening specialist and advocate.
- Vicky Redlin – Photographer, artist, conservationist, and native plant enthusiast.
- Bruce Senior – Retired commercial photographer, natives enthusiast/volunteer & board member: Independence Conservancy.
- Courtney Denning – Environmental educator, garden designer, and writer.
Best in Show
First Place: “Song of Spring” – David Silsbee
Location: Mansfield, CT
In this Photo: Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia, formerly Dendroica petechia) on Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
Photo Story: I found this yellow warbler singing his heart out in an oak tree that was just starting to leaf out. It’s no coincidence that the first flush of leaves on the red oak coincides with the arrival of warblers in spring. The fresh young leaves provide plentiful food for the insects that will in turn be food for the birds.
Second Place: “Primrose Moth” – Lauren Nagoda
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
In this Photo: Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis), Primrose Moth (Schinia florida)
Photo Story: Every morning, I walk through the primroses in my garden with one goal-spotting the charming primrose moth. I’ve only ever found two, and somehow, each sighting feels more magical than the last.
Third Place: “Being Busy Bee” – Ishaan Shukla
Location: Normal, IL
In this Photo: Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and Two-Spotted Bumble Bee (Bombus bimaculatus)
Photo Story: I love trains and I bike down to Normal train station to just get some good candy from Uptown or watch freight trains swoosh by. There is a beautiful patch of native flowers in the vicinity of the train station. I have been searching for rusty patched bumble bees (Bombus affinis) but captured this beauty. I could not hold myself as it was extremely busy that day and hence my title.
Category: Spring Ephemerals
First Place: “Cicada” – Lisa Strohauer
Location: Altoona, AL
In this Photo: Cicada
Photo Story: Slowly waking up, this cicada is defenseless after recently emerging from its exoskeleton.
Second Place: “Among Blues” – Teddi Zonker
Location: Grapevine, TX
In this Photo: Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) and Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)
Photo Story: Exploring the spring field of bluebonnets and and then I saw it! One Indian paintbrush; bright, solo in a sea of blue. A bold splash of uniqueness, a reminder that standing out is beautiful.
Third Place: “Calligrapher meets Claytonia” – Johanna Garrison
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
In this Photo: Margined Calligrapher Fly (Toxomerus marginatus) on Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Photo Story: Syrphid flies remind me of Greek amphoras; their bronze and black markings are like jewels. This margined calligrapher was the first I spied in our spring woodland bed.
Category: Events
First Place: “Butterfly Class” – Catherine McKenzie
Location: Madison, WI
In this Photo: Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
Photo Story: Our “Butterflies of Wisconsin: Ecology, ID, and Conservation” class, offered as part of our local Wild Ones chapter’s Native Plant Certificate was a wonderful opportunity to take a walk with a butterfly expert on a beautiful summer day in the UW-Madison arboretum. We saw butterflies and skippers of all types and sizes and learned about their biology and yearly cycles.
Second Place: “View from Wild Ginger” – Maria Otto
Location: Green Bay, WI
Photo Story: After receiving a donation of over 2,000 wild ginger plants (Asarum sp.), volunteers spent a rainy day installing the plants in areas previously invaded by garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). This photo is the view of the volunteers from the wild ginger’s perspective.
Third Place: “Conservation Conversation” – Miranda Halverson
Location: San Diego, CA
In this Photo: Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii), Grape Soda Lupine (Lupinus excubitus)
Photo Story: Wild Ones San Diego took a nature hike with local milkweed expert Ken Abernathy to visit a member’s cabin in the foothills outside the Santa Ysabel Reservation. We identified several dozen native species on our walk down through the watershed and enjoyed lunch from the local bakery together in the wilds.
Category: Home Landscape
First Place: “Spiderweb” – Kevin O’Brien
Location: Amherst, OH
In this Photo: Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica) supporting the spiderweb.
Photo Story: Walking through my backyard prairie always brings me unexpected delight, especially when I notice things like this backlit spiderweb spanning the late figwort. Morning fog added just the right amount of mood and mystery to the moment. There are over 70 different plant species in this garden; ones which may be recognizable from the photo are switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), marsh phlox (Phlox glaberrima), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum), rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum), prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), and Sullivant’s milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii).
Second Place: “Native Beds” – Robert Carter
Location: Godfrey, IL
In this Photo: Blazing Star (Liatris sp.), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Dwarf Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis var. minor), native Phlox (Phlox sp.), Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Speedwell (Veronica sp.), Beardtongue (Penstemon sp.), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Wild Petunia (Ruellia sp.), Bee Balm (Monarda sp.), and Tickseed (Coreopsis sp.).
Photo Story: Converting a traditional landscape area to mostly natives and pollinator plants.
Third Place: “Circle of Life” – Shoma Haque
Location: Buzzards Bay, MA
In this Photo: This is a mixture of native plants, with Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Narrowleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) in the foreground.
Photo Story: This driveway circle in the front of the house used to be just sad turf. I removed the turf and filled it with native plant plugs three years ago, and now it’s grown in and full of all kinds of life.
Category: Living Things
First Place: “Suspended in Sweetness” – Andy Slivka
Location: Middleburg Heights, OH
In this Photo: Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) and Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Photo Story: Early morning in late August, a ruby-throated hummingbird hovers next to some jewelweed flowers covered in morning dew for sustenance at a local waterfowl sanctuary. As a disabled USMC combat veteran who recently started taking pictures this May, I feel like nature has given me life twice.
Second Place: “Tall Grass Wonder Land” – Stephen Covert
Location: Strong City, KS
In this Photo: Hummingbird Moth and Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Photo Story: This year was the 20th and final year of the symphony on the prairie in Kansas. I had wanted to go for many years, but had never done so since we live in Ohio. Given that it was the final year, we decided it was now or never, so we made the trip from Ohio to Kansas to see the concert. The concert was only a few miles from the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, so we spent the morning and most of the afternoon walking through the preserve, enjoying our surroundings. Our reluctance to leave was so great that, if they had not delayed the concert, we would have been late and missed half of it.
Third Place: “Busy Bee Saguaro Pollinator” – Dianne Slotten
Location: Oro Valley, AZ
In this Photo: Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
Photo Story: Caught in the act! A bee whose legs are heavy with pollen approaches a Saguaro cactus. This desert icon typically blooms in late spring, primarily in May and June. Saguaro flowers open at night and close during the day, typically remaining open for less than 24 hours. After the flowers have been pollinated, the fruits follow, which are edible. They are harvested in June and have been nourishing humans since the ancients made their homes in the Sonoran Desert. They are also an important food source for various desert creatures, including bats, bees, and birds.
People’s Choice Award
Winner: “Gray Tree Frog on Orange Coneflower” – Ed Buchs
Location: Genoa City, WI
In this Photo: Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
Photo Story: As summer progresses, I often find this little frog visiting my native garden areas. This frog took a comfortable spot on top of a coneflower.
