This was taken at Crater Lake just after my mom and I tripped and almost fell.

The Bike Ride

We were on a family trip to Alaska and decided to take a bike ride. The mosquitoes were miserable, we were hungry and tired, but we were trying to stay positive. My brother led the pack as we approached a puddle that spanned the road. He decided we should stop, get off our bikes, and carry them through the bushes around the puddle. All of us followed, except my mom. As she rode full speed ahead we heard her say, “I think I can make it through”. Halfway through the puddle (small lake) her bike stopped and she sank. Soaked and trapped in the middle of this huge puddle, she just cracked up. We couldn’t help but join the laughter. It’s overall one of the best memories I have outdoors with my mom.

The Rose Garden

I was maybe 8 years old. My mom and I packed up for a picnic at the local rose garden. I had never been stung and was absolutely terrified of bees. When we arrived, the rose garden hummed with bees, but my mom assured me that the bees wouldn’t be interested in us. Just as we started our picnic and I began to relax, “OUCH!” my mom got stung. She played it off as though it didn’t hurt because she didn’t want to scare me, even though a welt was clearly forming. This is a favorite of mine because it was time alone, just me and my mom. It also shows how my mom always made the best of every adventure, the good and bad.

…And The Rain

I grew up in Portland, and maybe you’ve heard, it rains. A lot. Just about every camping trip I can remember involved at least one day of rain, even during the summer months. Getting wet and having to be in a tent isn’t always the best as a kid, but somehow my mom made it fun with silly songs, board games, and her positive energy. When it rains, why not splash around in the mud and make the best of it!

Outdoor adventures will rarely go as planned. I learned from my time in outdoors with my mom how to be patient, flexible and positive. Besides, perfection in nature is boring. I don’t remember the trips that went smoothly, it’s the mishaps that are special. I adore my mom’s willingness to be silly and make every adventure full of laughter, even when things go wrong. It’s filled my childhood with the best stories and memories.

Celebrate Mother’s Day:

• Enjoy these adorable pictures of wildlife mothers with their babies.
• Share your stories of your mom and nature in the comments below.
• Take an adventure together!
• Make a My Mom’s a Star Mother’s Day card.
• Give your mom a special breakfast in bed.

Me, my mom and my sister enjoying one of our many outdoor adventures. Also, I don’t have an answer for why there is a tissue sitting there. My mom assures me we picked it up.

A bison mother comforts her calf after an exhausting swim across the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by David Bahr.

Happy Mother’s Day!

• Thanks Mom, For the Gift of Nature – How did your mom give you the gift of nature? Share your story and read others’ memories!
• Wildlife Moms Photo Gallery – See more photos of wildlife mothers from the National Wildlife Photo Contest.

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

How did your mom give you the gift of nature?

Put a comment on this blog post, or record your own video and add it as a response on Youtube.

And if you are looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift, give a gift membership for Mother’s Day >>

Or certify your mom’s backyard as wildlife friendly >>

Here are more details about the mother-child stories featured in this video:

Dan Siemann, Washington

Dan works in the Pacific Regional Office in Seattle for the National Wildlife Federation on global warming and water issues.

“I really wanted to experience being an explorer and not being on the trail, not being bound by the trail. We were driving along and I asked my mom to stop and explore the woods. So she indulged me. She stopped and we got out of the car and we probably didn’t go more than 30 or 40 feet. I’m not sure we even got past the point where we couldn’t see the car anymore, but I remember for me it was totally exciting to be walking on the logs, and in the grass, and just going where the animals went, maybe walking in places that nobody else had ever walked. I remember just feeling like I was in the woods and free, kind of exploring things that nobody else had explored. Maybe I was the first person walking there or something like that. I just remember thinking this is the coolest thing. It made me want to go back and see it over and over again.”

“I wonder with my own son if like he said, “Dad can we stop and go walk into the woods?” If I hadn’t done that myself with my mom, I wonder if I would be as indulging or not. But it was such a cool experience for me. The ability to just walk off and go wherever and not be bound by the trail and experience the freedom of the woods.”

“She was a cool mom. And she loved travelling and she loved seeing new places. That was something that she instilled in me, is this sense of exploration and wonderment of the world, and going and experiencing things.”

Deji Akinpelu, Michigan

Deji is a member of National Wildlife Federation’s Youth Advisory Council. He is a student at Wayne State University. He attended National Wildlife Federation’s Earth Tomorrow program as a young man.

“I remember my mom used to always let me go outside and let me play in the backyard. And I think she even started, or attempted to grow a couple of crops. She grew some okra, spinach, tomatoes, also bell peppers. I just remember going outside and always having a great time, seeing so much greenery, and just exploring the outdoors, and just being at one with nature, even at a young age of seven or nine, I really had a great time doing that.”

“We had a playground. We always had time to play with the sand and look at the different invertebrates or vertebrates that were in the ground. We also made dirt pies. We saw cool creatures, what we call the roly poly. You touch it and it rolls up into a ball. Other than that, just looking at the different plants and seeing the vibrant colors. Just kind of like having that sense of security and tranquility when you are outdoors in nature.”

Beth Pratt, California

Beth is the Director of National Wildlife Federation’s California program.

“What I remember most about my mother – we lived near the woods. We were at the end of this road. I grew up in the woods. And she would just walk as much as we wanted and take us through the woods and down to the Concord River. So I think my early memories of my mother were always outdoors. I don’t remember being indoors with her as much.”

“She would go to the library and get those wildlife books for me. She would buy the wildlife encyclopedias at the supermarkets when you could still do that so I could look at them.”

“For me, mom is the encourager. She still is. My mother, on Saturday accompanied me to National Junior Ranger Day in Yosemite, where Ranger Rick was making a appearance. She stickered Ranger Rick books. She was handing them out to kids. You could tell she was just as encouraged as I was of all the little kids getting sworn in by park rangers and Ranger Rick – the new Junior Rangers. She was the one who took me to state parks and all the great wildlife areas in New England so she’s just been forever associated with being outdoors and not only being outdoors but encouraging me to be someone who works for the environment.”

Ivy Simmons, Georgia

Ivy participated in the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout in Atlanta last summer.

“I’m one of those moms who makes sure my kids get outside every day, just to get their energy out. Even before the whole nature deficit phenomenon research had been done and really been proven, I was very much aware of the benefits of being outside just to activate their mind and creativity because my mother grew up on a farm and always sent us outside. No matter rain, shine, snow – she grew up in Michigan – no matter how cold it is, you are going outside. I really think it helps them, just like I said, activate their creativity.”

“As my mother is from the country in North Carolina, you know we made everything from scratch. We were always out in the yard taking care of things. We didn’t waste things. If we cooked it, we ate it, even if we didn’t like it that much that time. And then we let go of it and we didn’t get excess. It was about not having excess and too much. Like even when the superstore started being popular, my mother is like, “But do you need all of that, and how much space does it take, and all this packaging.” As soon as recycling was available we did that.”

“It was naturally embedded in who she was because how she was raised, that really informed who we were. It’s the little things that you teach children. We don’t litter when we go out for walks. We’re going to clean up after ourselves. We’re going to make sure the fire is damped out. If you want to leave something for the birds, leave this type of thing, that’s not healthy for them. So that was really given to me young.”

Like Ivy, you can register to attend the Great American Backyard Campout on June 23, 2012!

Tim Brady, Pennsylvania

Tim is a philanthropy officer for National Wildlife Federation in Pennsylvania.

“When I was four years old, my mom got me a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. We had no money at the time. We were poor. But she got me this subscription, or at that time it was a membership in the Ranger Rick Club. I can remember every month that mail would come to my house, and it was for me, it had my name on it. I was so excited. Because we didn’t have much. The main thing I remember is the tin badge that I got from the Ranger Rick Club, and then looking at the pictures. I’m not sure if I could read yet, but just looking at these great pictures of animals.”

“So that was my first contact with National Wildlife Federation. So fast forward to about five years ago, I was working in development for a college, and the VP of development at NWF recruited me to come and work for NWF. Well, it wasn’t until I was sitting in the lobby of the headquarters here that I saw Ranger Rick magazine and connected the dots that NWF was Ranger Rick. So while I had gotten away from it for so many years, I had never forgotten Ranger Rick magazine. It had been burned into my memory as a wonderful experience as a kid to get Ranger Rick magazine.”

“My mom got divorced when I was about a year old and took me and my brother on this wild adventure across the country, kind of running from my dad. We would go to the Rocky Mountains, Utah, California, Washington, the state of Washington. Animals and wildlife were what she loved the most. She connected with animals better than she did people I feel, and sometimes I feel the same about myself. She was the one that really instilled in me the interest in animals and the love of animals. I can remember as a kid I would have fought to the death to protect an animal probably before a person because they were helpless and they needed us to help protect them. So it fits very well with Ranger Rick and with NWF, and I know if my mom were alive today, she would be so proud that I work for Ranger Rick.”

“It has been a life-changing experience to work for NWF because it got me re-introduced to the outdoors. I had gotten away from outdoor recreation in my twenties and thirties, with being busy and starting a family and everything else. Since coming to the NWF, I have picked up 10 or so new hobbies – kayaking, mountain biking, nature photography, gardening – the list goes on and on and it’s all because of the NWF that I do those things. And I just live for that these days. I’m introducing my son and my wife to them and they have become lovers of the outdoors as well because of that. And it’s all due to people that I work with here at NWF that I have been introduced to those hobbies.”

Like Tim’s mom, you can purchase a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine for your child!

Stroller Brigade in Missoula, Montana. (Photo from http://missoulamom.com)

In honor of Mother’s Day, parents gathered around the country in stroller brigades, callling on their elected officials to protect the Clean Air Act for their children’s health and future.

Parents pushed their children in strollers in Missoula, Montana from Sen. Jon Tester’s office to the office of Sen. Max Baucus.

The brigade delivered over 100 Mother’s Day cards from Moms across Montana asking the Senators to support the EPA’s efforts to protect the health of their families.

National Wildlife Federation’s Dave Dittloff pushed his daughter in the Missoula brigade, expressing concern for air pollution and mercury contamination in fish:

I was proud to take part in the stroller brigade here in Montana.  As a fisherman and parent of three children, two of which have asthma, I’m very concerned about clean air issues and how they impact my kids’ health.  Nothing is tastier than fresh caught fish, but we make a point of not eating too much of it because of mercury concerns, and there’s nothing more heart wrenching than hearing your child wheezing in the middle of the night.

A similar stroller brigade was held in Lansing, Michigan, where nurses joined moms to show support for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act.

Did you miss the stroller brigades? Support the EPA’s efforts to limit toxic air pollution now!

Michigan Mom calls for Clean Air

Michigan Stroller Brigade

My first thought when looking at the slideshow above is, “What beautiful images showing the universal bond of parent and child!”

My second thought is, “How on earth do those moms look so well rested?!?!”

I’ve been a mother for a little more than 15 months, and … let’s just say that any picture of me taken a year ago would definitely NOT be included in anyone’s photo slideshow. We’ll leave it at that.

The photographs also remind me of an evening last year when my son was three months old, right around Mother’s Day. I was literally brought to tears watching a segment of Discovery Channel’s “Life” series that featured a tiny frog that lives in the Central American Rain Forest.

Stop laughing at me! I was emotional and sleep-deprived.

The frog? A female strawberry poison arrow frog. And get this: This TINY frog (less than an inch long) carries her tadpoles, one by one on her back, from the rainforest floor to the tops of 100-foot tall trees. Then she places each tadpole in tiny pools of water that form in the leaves.

And I was complaining about getting up three times a night? I salute you, tiny strawberry poison arrow frog!

This lioness and cub photo was taken by Barbara Fleming and entered into the National Wildlife Photo Contest

But it’s not just over-emotional new moms that appreciate the power of wildlife images.

Keep your camera handy and capture the wildlife and natural settings you encounter, then enter the photos in the 41st annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. You’ll be eligible to win a cash prize, iPad or iPod touch.

BONUS: This year, for the first time, there is a “Baby Animal” category. Happy Mother’s Day!

Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas by Jeanette Larson (Author), Adrienne Yorinks (Illustrator), Charlesbridge Publishing (Publisher)

If April showers bring May flowers, then what do May flowers bring?  Hummingbirds!

One of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts is a red hummingbird feeder. It’s a gift that has kept on giving over the years with every glimpse of the tiny, busy beaks that take a sip.

And this year I have the perfect gift for my mom, another avid hummingbird watcher:  Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas (Charlesbridge, ages 4 and up).  Jeanette Larson and Adrienne Yorinks have compiled a collection of intriguing facts and legends, all beautifully  illustrated with Yorinks’s quilted artwork.  Below is but a “nectar nip” of what the book holds:

• Hummingbirds weigh roughly as much as two pages of notebook paper.
• They have the highest metabolic rate of any warm-blooded vertebrate and feed for about two hours every day.
• An ancient Mayan legend ascribed the hummingbird’s bright colors to the fine gifts it received from other creatures on its wedding day.
• The Aztec people believed that feisty hummingbirds were actually the spirits of fallen warriors.
• Wing beats range from twenty-five to two hundred beats per second.
• Their eggs are about the size of a small jelly bean.

And here’s a fun fact for all you resourceful, recycling moms:  The female hummingbird is an ingenious nest builder, often using whatever is available, including “animal hair, plant fiber, [and] fibers from the roofs of abandoned cars.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

PS: You can find hummingbird feeders in NWF’s catalog — and other fun outdoor accessories! Also, Did you know May is Garden for Wildlife Month? Learn how you can attract birds, butterflies and other beautiful creatures to your yard. deck, or balcony.

During my lunch break on DC’s National Portrait Gallery steps, my fellow NWFers shared their Mother’s Day celebration plans. So what am I doing for the women closest to me this weekend? How do I put this—I sort of, well…I forgot.

Thankfully our Be Out There campaign has great last-minute suggestions for fun family activities this weekend.

Outdoor Adventures for Mother’s Day

Give mom a break and plan a fun excursion outside on May 9. Some moms don’t necessarily want more stuff this Sunday—many crave time spent with family, unplugged from the routine—and most importantly, a break from being the family organizer.

Start the day by taking the Be Out There pledge to spend more time outside as a family. Then go on an outdoor adventure, from breakfast al fresco in your neighborhood, to backyard camping at night. Click here to read new mom Anne Keisman’s (@GreenHour) 5 Outdoor Adventures for Mother’s Day.

Moms – in the Wild!

NWF’s work aims to inspire Americans to protect wildlife, and we celebrate mothers of all stripes including those furry and feathered. From crocodiles to kangaroos, many animal mothers go to great lengths to protect and nurture their young. Check out naturalist @Dmizejewski’s video about nature’s moms, and you can view our slide show of photos taken by members of National Wildlife Magazine’s Flickr group. Happy holiday weekend, mom or not.

p.s. Love the @momsrising video Mother’s Day card—personalize the link to make your mom “Mother of the Decade” here.

Photo Credit: My dad’s sneak camera attack on me and mom – Captiva, Florida.