On September 13, Penguin Court, a private preserve of Brandywine Conservancy, and the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners, an ad-hoc committee of over twenty groups promoting and protecting pollinators in the county, were pleased to receive 243 entries from 99 adults and 40 submissions from 19 youth for their second annual Pennsylvania Pollinator Photo Challenge!

Adult Winners

Congratulations to Vivian Bi of Garnet Valley who placed first for her picture of a green sweat bee peeking out of a lotus flower. 

Second place was awarded to Tracey Zuck of Sellersville for her photo of a pollen-laden bumblebee.

Third place went to Jim Gallagher of Havertown for his capture of a honeybee on a coneflower.

-- View adult winners

-- View adult honorable mentions

-- View all adult entries

Youth Winners

In the youth category, Anya Jordan of Latrobe placed first for her photograph of a monarch butterfly.

Rory Nester of Garnet Valley won second place for his image of a swallowtail butterfly

Michael Schildkamp of South Park placed third for his picture of bumblebees on buttonbush.

-- View youth winners

-- View youth honorable mentions

-- View all youth entries

“I’m grateful to our judges, who represent the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and the Westmoreland Photographers Society.  With so many fabulous entries, they have their work cut out for them,” said Melissa Reckner, Penguin Court’s Program Manager.

Winners and honorable mentions were revealed at the “Monarchs, Milkweed and More” event that was held on August 21 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier. 

This family-friendly program is designed to educate and engage participants in resource protection and included activities for children, a presentation about native bees, information on climate change and its impact on the region, garden tours, monarch butterfly tagging, plein air artists, and the opportunity to work on a small mural.

Penguin Court and the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners provided the prizes, which included cash or gift cards, passes to Longwood Gardens, a framed print, native plants, a nature journal, and more!

Everyone is encouraged to continue photographing pollinators in Pennsylvania, as next year’s contest will be launched in May.

Reckner said, “We hope this friendly challenge makes people get outdoors, slow down, and observe pollinators around them.  If they’re not seeing many, we hope they’ll learn more on how they can positively impact wildlife by, for examples, adding native plants to their landscapes and using less chemicals on their lawns.  I always think of the Starfish Story… ‘it makes a difference to this one.’  Collectively, we can make a huge difference.”

For more information, visit the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners and Penguin Court websites.

(Photos: Top: Adults - 1st - Vivian Bi of Garnet Valley; 2nd - Tracey Zuck of Sellersville; 3rd - Jim Gallagher of Havertown; Bottom: Youth - 1st - Anya Jordan of Latrobe; 2nd - Rory Nester of Garnet Valley; 3rd - Michael Schildkamp of South Park.)

Resource Links - Native Plants:

-- Pollinator Gardens: Help Encourage Ecological Diversity In Your Own Backyard [Videos]

-- Gardening For Butterflies: Penn State Extension

-- Planting For Pollinators: Penn State Extension

-- Penn State Extension Master Gardeners

-- Penn State Pollinator Garden Certification

Related Articles:

-- DCNR Blog: Bring Life To Your Yard With Native Plants - Start With These; Garden Templates; Where To Buy

-- DCNR Blog: Growing Native Plants To Thwart Invasive Species

-- DCNR Blog: Good Weeds (Native Plants)

-- PennDOT: Adopt And Beautify - Keystone Pollinator Habitat

[Posted: September 13, 2022]

9/19/2022