Roadkill Crossing

The Blue Moon rose above the Blue Ridge Mountains on May 30, 2026. Photo by Bruce Stambaugh The only Blue Moon of 2026 was set to rise near Harrisonburg, Virginia, at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30. Officially, it wouldn’t be 100 percent full until 3:45 a.m. Sunday morning. So, I chose to try to shoot the moon, so to speak, Saturday evening. I wasn’t getting up at 3 in the morning to take a…

A recently fledged American Robin. Photo Bruce Stambaugh I knew American Robins were nesting in shrubs and trees around our suburban home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Early on, I saw them gathering dried grass for nesting, and dipping it into one of the birdbaths I have set out. This softens the material, making it more pliable. Sometimes, during the same trip, they would sweep the wet…

I always take my camera along on my morning walks in our neighborhood. This time of year, I never know what beauty I will encounter. The morning sunshine brings out the truest colors of the various flowers grown in our housing development. These curbside Phlox caught my attention with the lavender glow. Then I spotted the yellow spot, which I thought was a Sulphur butterfly hiding in plain…

I was sorting through some photos, and found this image I took when we lived in Ohio’s Amish country. Our house was built on an Amish farm and set tight against the northwest property lines. So, we were always close to all the farming action. This enabled me to take photos of the family farming in every season. Here, one of the farmer’s sons guided the team of workhorses pulling a new-style…

Sunsets are a favorite subject for my photo shoots. I am mesmerized by the ever-changing colors, the illumination of pinks and blues on clouds from the north, south, east, and west. As the colors transform, so do the shapes and the clouds’ hues. Living in Virginia’s bucolic Shenandoah Valley gives me plenty of opportunities for sunset shots in all four seasons. I try to capture as many sunsets…

While birding in a local arboretum, I came across this group of male Mallards casually swimming in Cooks Creek. They seemed undeterred from the purpose of their outing by my uninvited appearance. © Bruce Stambaugh 2026

It’s been a week since I took this photo. I participated in a group bird walk, and when I came upon this serene scene, it stopped me in my tracks. The morning sun highlighted the tall hardwood trees elevated above a bend in the North River. Their leaves were still unfolding. The combination of the green grass and the fresh and tender leaves shouted “greening up,” a term used especially in…

You know it’s spring when farmers make their first cutting of hay. However, making hay at the end of April is unusual, even for Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. After a recent overnight rain, the warm temperatures and days of clear weather allowed farmers across the valley to make their first cutting of hay. The windrows of mown alfalfa created the intriguing patterns in the foreground, with…

Earth Day is our annual reminder of humankind’s responsibility to care for our precious planet, our earthly home. Activities of all kinds are planned worldwide to educate and engage the public on the importance of intentional conservation. We use the Earth’s resources, but we must be mindful not to abuse our sacred soil, forests, waterways, atmosphere, and wildlife. May we all do our best each…