3rd Place

Third place winner, Debra Smith, is a long-time nature contest participant and bird lover. “This pair of barred owls lived in the back yard of our previous home. I would hear them at night and watch them as they came into the yard during the day. Raptors are my favorite birds,” said Smith, “and I was grateful to get to see these two flying from tree to tree. Photographing birds is my hobby, and the Wildcat Glades Friends Group are great people; I like supporting their work through the contest.”

Kids Contest Winner

Fifteen-year-old Paige Blankenship has been taking photographs since she was 12 and enjoys taking her camera into nature to see what she can find. She frequently photographs insects, birds, dogs and horses. Paige captured this inch worm in the garden in her yard. Paige said, “I got interested in photography when I got my first camera, and I thought taking pictures was fun.” She regularly enters the Show Me The Ozarks Nature Contest as she continues to enjoy nature and photography.

Facebook Favorite

Our Show Me The Ozarks Facebook fans chose Ashlyn Henderson’s monarch butterfly sitting on a zinnia as their favorite photo this year. Ashlyn spotted the butterfly in her mother’s flowerbed. “I like to be out in nature,” said Ashlyn,” and I always take my camera with me because you never know what you’ll see.” Ashlyn lives near Shoal Creek, and Wildcat Glades is one of her favorite places to be in nature. She likes to post her pictures of insects, reptiles, mammals and landscapes on social media.

Honorable Mention