“Is that a stinger?” our dad asked as he looked up at the bizarre creature we found on our gazebo one summer in North Dakota. The insect looked like a wasp, and it had an alarming 4-inch spike on the end of its abdomen.
2026, 06 June
Favorite Focus, June 2026
Enjoy our readers’ favorite photos from the June issue!
Photographing Bats in Flight
I hadn’t realized how easy photographing bats in flight could be…even with mosquitos. Granted, a few special tools are necessary, but getting these photos is much easier than I had thought, and than you may think.
Camp & Cabin Cookin’, June 2026
Zucchini Bake … Barbecue Sauce … Homemade Soft Pretzels … Homemade Twix Bars
Beneficials in My Garden
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive The pea crop was bountiful. Buckets filled as we picked by the handful. But what was this crawling up my arm? A little green aphid dodged hairs as he...
Study Guide Puzzles, June 2026
Get even more from this issue with these educational puzzles!
Spiders and Flies Word Search
Find the spiders and flies hidden in this word search puzzle!
The Fish That Shoots Water
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive In the mangrove forests that stretch from India through Southeast Asia to the northern coast of Australia, where tangled tree roots reach down into the...
My Pursuit of the Baltimore Checkerspot
I was very pleased to see this butterfly after observing much of its life cycle. At least I thought I had…
Pet Day! Forty Years Later
Who said a pet had to be warm-blooded and furry?
Bootes
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive M3. Photo © Reinhold Wittich|Dreamstime.com. Bootes lies nearly straight overhead on June evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. This constellation is...
You Can Draw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird
In six steps, you can draw this Ruby-throated Hummingbird too!
You Can Draw a Carolina Wren Submissions
Children’s submissions for You Can Draw a Carolina Wren lesson.
Checkerboard
Learn how to make your own natural checkerboard!
Pictures & Poems and Creation Close-ups, June 2026
Enjoy these art, poem, and photo submissions from our readers!