by Anthony Burkholder | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Carnivores, Contest, Mammals, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Black bear. Photo © Anthony Burkholder. One warm summer evening in September, my family was outside eating my little brother’s birthday cake. Suddenly my mother shaded her eyes and exclaimed, “What is that?”We all looked and...
by Marlene Burkholder | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Kingfishers, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Belted Kingfisher at nest. Photos © Marlene Burkholder. One sunny May morning, I saw two kingfishers! I assumed they were just flying around and wouldn’t stay long. To my surprise, they seemed to be staying around. They would...
by Joshua Lloyd | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Canines, Carnivores, Contest, Mammals, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Red Fox. Photo © Joshua Lloyd. One summer morning Michaela went outside to feed our mini lop bunnies. She had the feeling that something was watching her, and she whirled around to see two squinting eyes staring at her. She...
by Phoebe Hochstetler | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Caterpillars, Contest, Insects & Arachnids, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Photo © JjGouin/Dreamstime.com. I guess it started when a lady said she had a monarch caterpillar for us along with some milkweed to feed it. Although we didn’t know if it would turn out to be a he or she, my mom, a namer of...
by Hannah Stodden | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Contest, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine One day last winter, it snowed and covered the yard. Daddy scooped it into a big pile with the backhoe. In the afternoon, our family went out to play. It was a squishy snow, soft and not good for climbing on the snow pile. We...
by A. F. R. | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Contest, Crustaceans & Mollusks, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Land crab. Photo © Andrey Gudkov/Dreamstime.com. The cool Bahamian breezes tickle our faces. It is a relief to have some cool moments after this unusually steamy July day. We are following the quote, “One rainy day, one sunny...
by Japheth Hochstetler | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Contest, Deer and Antelope, Mammals, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Bull elk. Photo © Le Thuy Do/Dreamstime.com. The van slowed, then made its way around yet another sharp curve. I heaved a sigh and settled back in my seat. “I don’t think we’ll ever get there,” I complained to myself.I turned...
by Izzy Hass | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Meteors
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Meteor. Photo © Dreamstime.com. It was late in the day when I remembered. Weeks before, I had checked our November Nature Friend. The Geminid meteor shower was tonight.I had never seen a “shooting star,” and I didn’t really...
by Anna Boggs, Rural Retreat, VA | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Contest, Insects & Arachnids, Plants & Fungi, Story Contest, Trees
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine They say ignorance is bliss. In some ways, I wish I had never taken that summer evening walk.“Mom, could I head out and look for monarchs again?”I’d waited long enough, I thought, for the milkweed-loving monarchs to populate...
by Elise Weaver | May 1, 2023 | 2023, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Carnivores, Contest, Mammals, Story Contest
View the May 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Photo © Elise Weaver. One Sunday afternoon after church, Dad took my sisters and me on an overnight camping trip. We packed our backpacks with sleeping bags, food, and a first aid kit. My older sister didn’t pack a sleeping...
by Blake Zimmerman, 12 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Finches, Crossbills, & Grosbeaks, Story Contest, The Birders' Trail, Vultures
One warm summer day, my cousin and I had a contest to see who could find the most kinds of birds, animals, trees, plants, or leaves. We met at the trail that led into the woods. Our backpacks were full of field guides, binoculars, and lunch. Our plan was to stay in...
by Galen Williams, 17 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Shorebirds, Story Contest, Warblers
American Woodcock. Photo © Kevin Shank. The second week of May came, and so did the warblers and other migrating species. I had spring fever. Spring, Galen, warblers—all three—go hand in hand, so off I launched toward the closest woods. A good neighbor owned the woods...
by Estella See | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Contest, Mammals, Story Contest
Baby baboon eating banana. Photo © Estella See, 14. On a hot, sunny day in Uganda, Africa, we set out to visit the baboons. Many baboons live in the big forests near Tororo, and it was always an exciting adventure to go visit them.As the road entered the forest, we...
by Andrea LaBelle, 16 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, Kingfishers, Story Contest
It was the beginning of warmer weather, when the changing day length tells birds to begin their migration back north.This is a time that my family looks forward to, not only because we enjoy the warmth, but because we like the birds.Yes, birds.We have a pond in our...
by Weston Martin, 12 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Contest, Mammals, Story Contest
One summer day when we had some visitors, we spied a little squirrel up in the treetops right next to our house. It was not much bigger than a chipmunk. Someone ran to get the field guide, and we decided it was a southern flying squirrel. That was a surprise, for most...
by Kelsey, 8, and Blake, 6, Stoutjesdyk | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Contest, Galaxies, Meteors, Story Contest
Once upon a cool August evening, our family happened to be camping in a dark, open area near Jasper, Alberta, Canada, where we had an amazing view of the sky.One evening, something caught our dad’s eye. He looked up to see a shooting star streak through the sky....
by Mark Hochstetler, 14 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Story Contest, Swallows, Thrushes
Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow. Photo © Dreamstime.com. “Chee! Chee! Chee!” The strident notes eddied through the open living room window and pricked my ears. I dropped The War for Mansoul, which I was reading this noon break, and strode to the window. What was...
by Galen Horning, 8 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Finches, Crossbills, & Grosbeaks, Story Contest
Common Redpoll. Photo © Dreamstime.com. My sister looked out the window and asked, “Is that a redpoll?”We all ran for the window. By then the birds had all flown away, so we had to go over to another window. Soon we saw the birds on a little snow pile.My sister said,...
by Christopher Raber, 10 | May 1, 2022 | 2022, 05 May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Fish, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, Story Contest
by Kevin Shank | Aug 19, 2021 | 2021, 09 September, Contest
by michelle@aquavitacreative.com | May 11, 2021
The results are in. Click here to see the winners. Build a birdhouse and write clear instructions for a “Learning by Doing” lesson. Families of active subscribers may participate. Quality original photos (or birdhouse) are required. Awards include $150,...
by michelle@aquavitacreative.com | May 6, 2021
Have your creating writing featured in Nature Friend Magazine! Families subscribed to the Study Guide edition may participate. All ages are welcome, and family participation is encouraged. Submit your story by September 30, 2021. Contest Details The nuts and bolts of...
by michelle@aquavitacreative.com | Apr 26, 2021
Write your own “Learning By Doing” story! Families of active subscribers may participate. Choose a day or three and do a wildflower hike. Identify what you find. Write an interesting “Learning By Doing” story, and submit your story by June 15, 2021. See...
by Jordan Weaver, 9 Narvon, PA | Apr 15, 2021 | 2021, 05, May Story Contest, Articles & Stories, Birds, Contest, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, Herons, Egrets, & Bitterns
This summer has been interesting since I started birding. One Sunday we went on an afternoon drive. As we crested the hill just past our house, we saw a Broad-winged Hawk on a telephone pole. This did not surprise me because I had been hearing them screaming...
