Nature’s Best Photography

Green Bright-eyed Frog
Boophis viridis
Andasibe National Park, Madagascar
By Simone Sbaraglia, Rome, Italy

Widely distributed along the eastern rainforest belt of Madagascar, Boophis viridis live in old growth and secondary rainforests. The males call at night from perches in the vegetation three to six feet above the ground, usually along slow-moving streams and ditches.

“Madagascar is a haven for nature photographers, with more than 90 percent of the wildlife species found exclusively on the island. The frogs that are found here are especially colorful. I photographed this beautiful specimen in the rainforest of Andasibe during the rainy season. My guide and I spent hours searching the jungle one pitch-black night and found this tiny, one-inch-long frog. I hurried to take a few pictures before it jumped out of sight.”—Simone Sbaraglia

The winners of the annual Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards are now on display on the main floor of the National Museum of Natural History. Do not miss this exhibition of some of the world’s most extraordinary photography.

Nature photographers travel the globe to document the beauty and diversity of its farthest reaches. The images they bring home awaken our desire to explore, understand and conserve the natural world for the generations that will follow us.

The Nature’s Best Photography concept began with simple yet dynamic goals: to celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature through the art of photography, and to use this far-reaching medium as a creative tool for encouraging greater public interest in outdoor enjoyment and conservation stewardship. The annual Windland Smith Rice International Awards program evolved from this ambitious mission to become one of the most highly-respected and visually compelling nature photography competitions in the world. Approximately 25,000 entries are received and judged each year in the Awards competition.