Images of the Yr – December 24, 2025

Fast announcement. We’re hiring a land steward for the Niobrara Valley Protect. This individual will be part of our land administration workforce and work with prescribed hearth, cattle and bison grazing, invasive species suppression, and way more, throughout 56,000 acres of Sandhills prairie, woodlands, and one of the crucial scenic rivers within the Nice Plains. Will probably be a whole lot of handbook labor, but in addition a terrific alternative to contribute to an revolutionary stewardship workforce on the lookout for methods to handle for organic range and ecological resilience. Be taught extra and apply at nature.org/careers.

Nicely, we’ve virtually made it via 2025. To say it has been an eventful 12 months looks like a large understatement. As I’m positive is true for a lot of of you, I attempted to handle stress and anxiousness by spending time in nature – exploring with curiosity and surprise, and giving myself a break from the remainder of the world for a short time. It helped.

Listed here are a few of my favourite pictures from 2025, taken whereas I used to be out wandering (or mendacity on the bottom) with my digital camera. I hope you all get some slower time within the subsequent week or two to do issues like scan via some nature photographs – or no matter brings you pleasure and peace.

The above picture is one among my favorites of the 12 months as a result of I just like the photograph, but in addition as a result of it was taken on the final day of my most up-to-date year-long sq. meter pictures mission. The 2024-2025 iteration of that effort yielded photographs of about 320 totally different species of crops, animals, and fungi. Extra importantly, it was an extremely highly effective and private mission for me – much more enjoyable and interesting than my first try in 2018.

Under is a quick slideshow of a few of my dragonfly and damselfly photographs from this 12 months.

Bullfrogs aren’t nice, ecologically, in our Platte River Prairies wetlands. They’re not thought of native to the realm and may have fairly critical adverse impacts on populations of different frogs. Dang it, they’re positive engaging, although – particularly after I handle to sneak up shut sufficient to stare into one’s eyes with out it ducking away underwater.

Through the dormant season, I nonetheless exit fairly a bit – particularly when there’s any snow or frost to offer accents to the panorama. The slideshow under contains a few of my favourite cold-weather photographs.

Early mornings in the summertime prairie often embrace a whole lot of dew drops. Meaning moist socks and pantlegs, however the photograph alternatives greater than make up for that.

I ended up with a whole lot of sunflower photographs this 12 months, together with a number of totally different species. The slideshow under contains only a few of those. All however the first one have been taken throughout the identical brief journey to the Niobrara Valley Protect.

I meet a whole lot of skepticism every time I put up photographs of, or discuss cattle grazing as a software for prairie administration. I get it. Many individuals have solely seen poor examples of cattle grazing – chronically-overgrazed websites, for instance, the place each wildlife and plant range has been misplaced. If that’s your expertise, it’s no surprise you’re skeptical.

That’s not as a result of cattle are unhealthy, although. That’s unhealthy administration. I just like the photograph under as a result of it helps illustrate the concept cattle (and/or bison) grazing can be utilized for good, as effectively. Many ranchers are doing a terrific job of managing their websites in ways in which make them cash whereas sustaining numerous, resilience prairie communities. I like working with cattle on our prairies, making an attempt to maintain them fats and blissful whereas getting their assist managing plant competitors and shaping habitat construction. Bison are nice, too, don’t get me improper. However cattle can be utilized in much more locations right this moment than bison can, for quite a few causes, so I believe it’s necessary to work with and find out about each.

On the finish of Could, I took a fast solo journey out to the Nebraska Panhandle for a pair days. I automotive camped and spent almost all my waking hours wandering with my digital camera. I bought some good photographs, but in addition got here again with renewed power, prepared to interact with work, household, and the remainder of the world. The slideshow under has a number of of my finest photographs from that journey.

Bugs are at all times a favourite photograph topic for me. This slideshow contains those I appreciated finest from 2025.

Throughout one journey to the Niobrara Valley Protect this summer time, a lightning storm got here from the west after which skirted round us to the north, flashing all the best way. I spent fairly a little bit of time watching it from a number of totally different vantage factors, having fun with the present and capturing some enjoyable lightning photographs.

The slideshow under options pollinators I photographed in 2025.

Here’s a slideshow of 2025 spider photographs. There are eight photographs, not 2025. 2025 is simply the 12 months they have been taken in.

Talking of dewy summer time mornings, insect pictures is quite a bit simpler when my topics are slowed and sparkly. The 2 hoverflies under posed very properly for me.

I don’t take a whole lot of dawn and sundown photographs, at the very least relative to how usually I’m out at the moment of day. As a substitute, I’m often making the most of that early and late-day mild to {photograph} spiders, flowers, or one thing else. The slideshow under, although, contains among the photos I bought by together with the solar itself within the photograph.

It’s exhausting for me to stroll previous a milkweed seed with out stopping to admire and/or {photograph} it. This one was suspended close to the Niobrara River this fall (the sunshine shade within the backside half of the background is the river, with the crimson/brown of the far financial institution above it).

A number of you in all probability bought to see some nice northern lights shows this summer time. It sounds prefer it is likely to be some time earlier than these of us who don’t stay in northern latitudes get a present like that once more. I used to be fortunate to get two nights when the colour was nice and wind was calm.