We received a tremendous number of excellent submissions, and here we share all the artwork we received, including the winning Virginia opossum picture by Deborah Humphries in the Historic Rivers Chapter.
We asked each artist to describe why they thought the mammal they chose should be the focal species for the pin. Deborah wrote, “I think the Virginia Opossum is one of the most unique and hardest working mammals we have. They help maintain a healthy eco-system by consuming up to 90% of the ticks trying to feed on them. Additionally the are also catching and eating cockroaches, rats and mice. They eat snails and slugs and overripe fruit and berries in the garden. They are resistant to snake venom and actually prey on snakes including venomous species like copperheads and rattlesnakes in addition to consuming dead animals of all types. All this and more as they are North America’s only marsupial, so their cool factor is above and beyond other mammals. Much like master naturalists! Much of my information came from the National Wildlife Federation blog post about opossums.”
Thank you to all the volunteers who participated! It is so much fun to see your creativity and passion!
