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Images: Photo Contest Finalists

A blue bird sits on a dry plant at McHenry Glacial Park in Ringwood. Viveca Joy Skyles of Lakemoor
A bold but hungry chipmunk feeds out of the hand of a visitor to the Rocky Mountains. Fred Share of Arlington Heights
A picture I took as the sun was going down over the harbor of Quebec City, Canada. Besides being extremely peaceful, this photo always looks to me like it was taken somewhere in the Middle East. You could swear the surrounding area should be nothing but dry desert instead of being on the coast of the St. Lawrence River as it flows out to the Atlantic Ocean. Mark Tucker of Wheaton
A butterfly travels from flower to flower in the Adirondacks near Lake Placid in New York last year. Skip Allison of Lake Zurich
I took this picture June 15th, 2013, in The Great Smokey Mountain National Park while hiking the Appalachian Trail on Clingman´s Dome. As you may be able to tell from the bear´s expression I believe we were both surprised to see each other. Terrill Cumberland of Aurora
The other morning I was driving past some houses that backed up to Turnberry Country Club in Lakewood. I shot this photo between two of the houses as the sun came up through the fog. Marc Moxon of Woodstock
An oriole at an oriole feeder on my back deck. This was the first time I ever saw one and he was interested in my hummingbird feeder. I gave him his own and he’s only been back twice since then. Frank A Sheme of Carol Stream
Some times you need to look for the picture with in the picture. This photo started out as a nice reflection shot of a flock of ducklings, but when I rotated it 180 degrees, it turned into a better shot of 3 not so happy ducklings coming over the crest of a wave. Bob Williams of Huntley
Water droplets hang on the leaves last week after the rain. Wes Dorszewski of Palatine
A bumble bee floats in the air in a Palatine backyard last month. There was a nest in the one posts of a fence that was removed and this bee has been watching guard ever since. It has been over three weeks and he still hovers in the same place. Joe Petykowski of Palatine
While I was on a summer trip to Cantigny Gardens in Wheaton these foreground irises and the grasses lining the pond led my eye to the inviting gazebo in the distance. I just wanted to sit under its canopy, relax, and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature for a while. Mike Weimer of St. Charles
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