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Garden photo contest winners

Lisa Moore
Garden Photography
Apr 01, 2022

THE FOURTH ANNUAL GARDEN FOR WILDLIFE PHOTO CONTEST™ drew nearly 8,600 images from 830 people who shared the magic they found in gardens where they live, work, play and worship. The three winners shown here reflect the beauty that GFW Manager Erin Sweeney hopes will inspire others to “connect with nature”—and also help wildlife by “planting with a purpose.”

GRAND PRIZE: LOVELY LIZARD Speckled with early-morning dew, a green anole (above) pauses on a black-eyed Susan in a botanical garden in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Using her new macro lens, Esther Fleming was photographing bees when she spotted this lizard as it glanced her way. “I like to look at things really close up,” says Fleming, who finds beauty in the smallest details.

A pine siskin in a birdbath

GRAND PRIZE RUNNER-UP: SERENE SISKIN After his wife replaced ice with water in their birdbath, steam began to rise and catch the morning sun—so Christopher Baker ran for his camera. Shooting through the open door of their home in Madison, Alabama, Baker saw this pine siskin (above) pause at the bath and turn toward the light. “It’s one of those spontaneous moments you can’t recreate,” he says. “To me, it’s a peaceful image with a warm feeling that’s relatable.”

A mule deer walking through a flower-filled garden

WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, WORK, PLAY, LEARN AND WORSHIP WINNER: BEAUTIFUL BUCKS On her daily visit to a demonstration garden in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Susie Rose was photographing butterflies when she heard rustling nearby and saw two young mule deer bucks (above) browsing for lunch amidst the native blooms. “I’d like people to realize that nature is all around us,” she says. “If we give wildlife space and habitat, then we can coexist.”