How your photo can win 2,500 dollars

The 'Capture the Wild' photo and story contest runs until June 8

My weekend started with a walk in one of the forests close to Ottawa. This picture shows the wide lane where I started; the second picture is a more narrow path a bit further out.

It was there that I noticed the many mosquitoes that had also decided to spend their morning in nature. After about an hour, they had become so irritating that they drove me out of the forest. I love biodiversity, but my love is not so blind that this includes mosquitoes too. I escaped back to the city, counting the bites on my arms.

Toad

The wildlife I encountered that one hour was a thousand mosquitoes and one American Toad. It camouflaged itself perfectly on the brown leaves. You can recognize them by their warty brown skin and the light line down the middle of its back. 

Capture the Wild

If you have pictures of wildlife, or your dog or cat, you may want to join the 'Capture the Wild' photo challenge sponsored by Untamed Photographer. It is fun to participate in, and your photo and story could win 2,500 dollars or one of the other prizes.

I am not sure yet which pictures to send in before the deadline of June 8 and therefore posted a few photos on Twitter to see which one was most popular. I received the most questions and comments about this picture.

I took this photo last summer in the dunes close to home in the Netherlands. I love this wild area on the west side of the island with the hard-to-pronounce name of Schouwen-Duiveland. On this island lived my oldest ancestors that I could trace back to the 18th century. I always come back here, and it is the place on the planet where I feel most at home. 

I try to visit these dunes every day, either for running through its loose sand or walking. Mostly it is tranquil here; the tourists prefer the beaches, although I noted that more people discovered the pleasure of spending time in nature, like these dunes, during the pandemic. I wonder if this will be a lasting change or if the shops and cafes will draw people back to the cities now that they have opened again.

When I reach this point in the dunes, I can choose to turn back or continue through the forest that you see in the distance and go all the way to the beach and back, about 14 kilometers or 8 miles.

Scottish Highland cattle

The introduction of the Scottish Highland cattle in the dunes should restore the dunes to their original form. Until the early 20th century, practically all dunes were grazed. When that practice stopped, the scrub and woodland increased, which was detrimental to plants and animals that need grasslands or open sand areas. 

You may remember pictures that I have posted on social media of Shetland ponies; they have that same task and share this same area with the cattle. I never see them hanging out together, and the area is so vast that I often don't see any of the cattle or ponies anywhere. 

This summer, I will be back on the island and share more pictures. I plan to write stories about the nature and history of the island during the more quiet summer months. As I wrote before, you can always let me know your preferences or suggestions for my writing; if you want another focus during the summer, let me know in comments or write direct at theplanet@substack.com.