Our 14th Annual Nature Contest photographers captured stunning wildlife, unique perspectives of birds, a variety of insects and, of course, the beautiful Ozark scenery. We thank all our photographers for all their submissions and for being the best stewards of nature and our wildlife.

All of the contest entry fees go to benefit the Wildcat Glades Friends Group. Enjoy the photos on the following pages and the display at the Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center located at Wildcat Glades.

1st Place 

Fox – Linda Sala, Springfield, Missouri

Linda Sala captured her winning photo of a juvenile fox sitting near the woods in her neighborhood just outside of Springfield, Missouri, over the summer. “I do a lot of wildlife photography and will walk down to Springfield Lake, which is near my neighborhood, and take photos when the weather is nice,” said Sala. “One day, my husband and I were driving through our neighborhood and I just happened to see several foxes sitting at the edge of the woods behind the houses. I rolled my window down and captured this beautiful fox looking right at us.” 

2nd Place 

Cicada Locust – Autumn Earls, Columbus, Kansas

 Second-place winner Autumn Earls captured her cicada metamorphosis over the summer in her backyard. “I really enjoy taking photos of things others may not get to see happen in real life,” said Earls. “My family and I sat and watched the process of it coming out of its shell and spreading its wings, and that process took about an hour.” 

 3rd Place 

 Orange Flower with Bumble Bee –

Anne Stocker, Carthage, Missouri 

Anne Stocker of Carthage, Missouri, is a bumble bee enthusiast, and she took this photo in her backyard. “I participate in a group that helps with conservation of bumble bees called the Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas, and we call ourselves community scientists,” said Stocker. “My backyard is certified as a Monarch Waystation so I have many native plants and enjoy spotting all the bumble bees as I walk around the garden.” 

Kids Contest Winner 

Liam Franklin, Neosho, Missouri 

Twelve-year-old Liam Franklin finds the beauty in just about anything outdoors. Every Sunday, Liam and his family go to his grandparents for Sunday dinner and one day, he was outside taking pictures for a project for the local fair. Liam came across an old garden pot that had gathered rainwater and saw the beauty in how the leaf sat on top of the water, and he took his winning photo. Liam’s mom, Shalee, said Liam enjoys the outdoors so much and will take her phone to snap pictures when he finds something beautiful. 

Facebook Fan Favorite 

Keith Jalbert, Neosho, Missouri

Our Show Me The Ozarks Facebook fans chose Keith Jalbert’s barn owl sitting in a tree as their favorite photo this year. Jalbert works for Amazon and always carries his camera with him. “This winter, I was en route to a delivery in Anderson, Missouri, and spotted this barn owl sitting on a fence post,” said Jalbert. “I quickly stopped and grabbed my camera and saw the owl fly up into the tree. That’s when I was able to get my photo.” 

Honorable Mentions

 

George Haubein  Janice Myers

Sheila O’Daniel Brandon Cook  

Todd Calhoun