by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | Pictures and Poems, You Can Draw Submissions
Here are the art & poetry submissions we received in the month of June. We hope you enjoy! Art Submissions Click on the thumbnails below to view the full-sized image. Case Friesen, 8, Cove, OR Gabriel Amer, 9, Hinckley, OH Marina Amer, 15, Hinckley, OH Nicholas,...
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Carnivores, Covers, Hares, Rabbits, & Pikas
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, From the Editor's Quill, Scavenger Hunt
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Birds, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Gamebirds, Pictures and Poems, Waterfowl - Geese, Swans, Ducks, Loons, Grebes
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Creation Close-ups, Gamebirds, Shorebirds
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Cranes, Mailbox
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Carnivores, You Can Draw Submissions
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Articles & Stories, Carnivores, Dragonflies & Damselflies, Exploring Nature, Fish, Hummingbirds, Warblers
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Look for wild blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, and huckleberries. They are delicious eaten fresh or in jellies and desserts. Watch hummingbirds to find their nests. Look closely—the nests are only an inch or two across...
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Double Stars, In Our Skies, Meteors, Nebulas, Planets, Star Clusters
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive July 4: Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation. See it low in the evening sky at sunset. July 28/29: The Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower runs from July 12 through August 23. However, it peaks in the early morning of July 29....
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Caption This, Hippopotamuses, Mammals
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive “Have we met before?” Photo © Rainer von Brandis|iStock.com. We invite you to submit your caption for this hippo. The photograph will be used on the back of the November issue, along with our choice of a caption...
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Auroras, End of the Trail
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive The June 1, 2025 aurora. This is looking straight up in a 360° panorama. “To capture the entire sky, I stitched together 8 segments, 45° apart, each a 5-second exposure taken in rapid succession.” Photo © Alan...
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Acrostic, Crossword, Crustaceans & Mollusks, Fill-In-The-Blanks, Premium Edition, Puzzles, Study Guide, True and False
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by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Articles & Stories, Gardening, Nature-Friendly Gardening, Premium Edition
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Scarlet Tanager. Photo © Dogwood Ridge. Splashing, dashing, dripping, rippling—the water rushes over a small waterfall, into a shallow pool. Bubbles float, then pop, as the water wiggles its way around the edges before...
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Camp & Cabin Cookin', Premium Edition
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Whole Wheat Pancakes We enjoy making these for Saturday morning breakfasts or for a camp breakfast. For camping, I make a mix of all the dry ingredients and the molasses. I then write on the bag to add 2 cups of milk or...
by Kevin Shank | Jul 1, 2025 | 2025, 07 July, Auroras, Cardinals, Tanagers, & Allies, Favorite Focus, Focus Illustrated, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, Herons, Egrets, & Bitterns, Stilts and Avocets, Waxwings
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Click photos to enlarge. The June 2 auroras delighted those who were privileged to be at the right place and right time. My friend John Friesen was one of those. Here is what he captured north of Bonners Ferry, Idaho. To...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | Pictures and Poems, You Can Draw Submissions
Here are the art & poetry submissions we received in the month of May. We hope you enjoy! Art Submissions Click on the thumbnails below to view the full-sized image. Priya Chirukuri, 14, Corpus Christi, TX Emily Burkholder, 10, South Salem, OH Elizabeth Heckman,...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Covers, Ungulates, Wildflowers
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Blackbirds, Orioles, Meadowlarks, From the Editor's Quill, Scavenger Hunt, Warblers
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Articles & Stories, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Gamebirds, Saltwater, Ungulates
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive The Great Migration of Wildebeests continues. In June and July, they cross the crocodile-infested Grumeti River. Blacklight for moths / go sugaring for moths. Warm, muggy nights are best for sugaring. When my brother and I...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Creation Close-ups, Lunar Eclipse, Moon, Shorebirds, Thrushes, Vultures, Woodpeckers
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Mailbox, Thrushes
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, You Can Draw Submissions
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Auks, Murres, Guillemots, & Puffins, Hares, Rabbits, & Pikas, Pictures and Poems, Ungulates, Warblers
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, End of the Trail, Sun
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive This morning, May 2, Adrian and I photographed the sun. As of now, this is the largest sunspot of 2025. It stretches more than 87,000 miles (140,000 km). Earth could drop through the central umbra spots that appear as dark...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Acrostic, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Crossword, Fill-In-The-Blanks, Study Guide, True and False
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by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Articles & Stories, Gardening, Nature-Friendly Gardening, Plants & Fungi, Premium Edition
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Seven bucks, still in velvet, slipped out of the woods and began foraging among the grasses in the field. It would be just a matter of weeks until they could wonder why they used to be such good buddies. But, for now, they...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Camp & Cabin Cookin'
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Squash Casserole —Submitted by Willis F. Rhodes, Frankfort, OH Photo © Dreamstime.com. 4 c chopped summer squash 1½ c grated cheese ½ c oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 med. onion, chopped 4 eggs 1½ c biscuit mix 1 lb...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Articles & Stories, Auroras, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, The Photo Focus
Trails and Tales Contest Honorable Mention View the full issue in the Magazine Archive When I found out I would be going on a trip to Alaska, I was very excited. I would be able to enjoy several of my favorite hobbies—astronomy, birding, hiking, and especially...
by Kevin Shank | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025, 06 June, Favorite Focus, Focus Illustrated, Ungulates
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive White-tailed fawn. Photo © Peter Shirk. Peter submitted this gorgeous photo of a fawn. It is well-composed, and the focus on the eye is tack sharp, as we say. I’m going to use this shot as an example of how I view photo...
by Kevin Shank | May 1, 2025 | Pictures and Poems, You Can Draw Submissions
Here are the art & poetry submissions we received in the month of April. We hope you enjoy! Art Submissions Click on the thumbnails below to view the full-sized image. Adelaide Arnold, 8, Olathe, KS Brianna Arnold, 11, Olathe, KS Dawson Schlenker, 9, Montpelier,...
