And if you have come quietly and humbly, as you should to any spot that can be beautiful only once, you may surprise a fox-red deer, standing knee-high in the garden of his delight.
Many flock to Aldo Leopold's writing not for his scientific findings—though they were many—but for the poetic flair with which he delivered them. As he sought to convince people to care for a suffering world via A Sand County Almanac, Leopold came to understand that artistry, deep observation, and personal reflection could influence people more than any data point, for "we grieve only what we know." Though he passed away before he could see his masterpiece come to fruition, many have since taken up the Leopoldian tradition by practicing phenology—the study of the timing of cyclical natural events—and art alike.
This season, we wanted to celebrate artistry, phenology, and the 75th anniversary of A Sand County Almanac with an art contest themed around summer phenology. With over 50 gorgeous entries from around the country, it was impossible to pick just one winner! Enjoy our top five favorite pieces below.
Ready to begin your own phenology journey? Pick up one of our handy 2025 Phenology Calendars, complete with stunning wildlife photos and predicted phenological sightings.
From Bill's wife, Laura: "My husband has been drawing with graphite for nearly 2 years. When my son was a baby, he and I would go on bird walks with the Bergen County Audubon. We became very interested in birds, especially our backyard birds. He drew the cardinal so that I would always have one of our backyard birds to look at."
From Tom: "I’ve lived a life now filled with ’bird’ memories. From the Eastern Bluebirds nesting in a house perched on an ancient fence post on the Wisconsin farm of my childhood to the Bald Eagle observation on the shore of the Wisconsin River behind the Leopold Shack one cold, Winter day with new friends…a life of bird joy!"
From Lorena: "This is a scene I have witnessed several times this summer over prairies: a feeding frenzy in the sky by swarms of tree swallows and dragonflies. It is always an incredible sight to see which is why I felt inspired to make this piece. Featuring tree swallows, common green darner, common whitetail, rusty snaketail, blue-fronted dancers, Carolina saddlebags, and the final segments of a bluet species."
From Erin: "These blooms represent ten common species of trees and shrubs found in Missouri oak-hickory forests. Clockwise from top center the species are: red oak (Quercus rubra), paw paw (Asimina triloba),sassafras (Sassafras albidum, male, female), ash (Fraxinus sp., male, female), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata),Carolina buckthorn (Frangula caroliniana), red maple (Acer rubrum, male, female), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and downy serviceberry (Amelanchierarborea). The original painting is in pen & ink and watercolor."
Melissa Shultz-Jones observes ecological happenings from Birmingham, Alabama. She is an illustrator and artist, who strives to cultivate native habitat awareness through her work and teaching.
The Aldo Leopold Foundation was founded in 1982 with a mission to foster the land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold, awakening an ecological conscience in people throughout the world.
