Photo contest celebrates wild wonders
With its speckled belly, black bib, and scarlet feathers, the northern flicker is hard to miss, especially when it’s hammering away at a suet feeder. But this flashy woodpecker is just one of many subjects photographed during Habitat at Home, an annual photo contest hosted by local land trust Conserving Carolina. Now in its sixth iteration, the contest invites shutterbugs of all stripes to capture the beauty of backyard biodiversity. In past years, participants have submitted snapshots of everything from black bears lumbering through rhododendrons to wasps delicately perched on blooming passionflowers. According to Rose Lane, Conserving Carolina’s communications and marketing director, the goal of the contest is to encourage individuals to create natural spaces around their homes, helping to nurture much-needed habitat. “We live in a time when so many wildlife populations are plummeting because there’s not enough habitat,” she shares in a press release. “That means that when you create habitat at your home, you are offering a very real lifeline for wild creatures. And we want to see the beautiful, hopeful change that you are creating in this photo contest.”
Conserving Carolina’s sixth annual Habitat at Home spring photo contest runs through June 1. Photos must be taken in 2024 or 2025 in Western North Carolina or Upstate South Carolina. To see full contest rules and prizes, visit conservingcarolina.org/contest2025.