Show us your best science/nature images of 2012!

By Alex Wild | December 26, 2012 | 40

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Red-eyed tree frog (Belize, September 2012)

I can tell from the requisite end-of-year retrospectives that 2012 must be stumbling to a close. The best of this, the worst of that, the most interesting of the people, the sexiest of the gadgets. Here at Compound Eye we’d like to follow the crowd by crowd-sourcing our own list.

If you are a science or nature photographer and you have made a Best-Of-2012 selection of your own work, blogged your best effort, facebooked your favorites, or otherwise reported your prime cuts in an online medium, share your link in the comments below!

Alternately, if Sci Am’s comment system is giving you trouble, you may email your link to me ( alwild -at- myrmecos.net ) with “Sci Am 2012 Best” in the subject line.

The rules are as follows:

The subject matter must cover a science/nature theme.
The work must be your own.
The content must be hosted publicly online – lone photos emailed to me won’t be considered.
The content should be collected as a single “best-of” synopsis; examples- a flickr “My top photos of 2012″ gallery, or single blog post. I will not link general websites.

Once a sizable list has accrued I will curate your links in a new post. I know many of you are brimming with talent- I am excited to see your best!

Endangered cerrado habitat (Carrancas, Brazil, June 2012)

About the Author: Alex Wild is an Illinois-based entomologist who studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books, and media outlets. Follow on Twitter @myrmecos.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Tags: photography

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40 Comments

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1. Neil Losin 11:35 am 12/26/2012

Here’s our end-of-expedition gallery from Ibiza and Formentera, where we were capturing images for an upcoming photographic book about the Ibiza Wall Lizard: http://www.daysedgeproductions.com/photography/?gallery=14
Link to this
2. twpierson 12:03 pm 12/26/2012

Here is a collection of my best amphibian images of 2012, taken in the United States, Nicaragua, and China.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twpierson/sets/72157632348277050/

Thanks,
Todd Pierson
Link to this
3. gaurav1729 12:37 pm 12/26/2012

Here is a set of my best photographs, insects spiders and nature: http://mescapes.wordpress.com/
Link to this
4. TheBugGeek 12:53 pm 12/26/2012

Here’s a few of my faves http://www.flickr.com/photos/63015743@N07/sets/72157632344722749/
Link to this
5. JeroenMentens 1:42 pm 12/26/2012

The best of Vilda (4 people in Belgium/Netherlands):
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.443681665681311.91192.146916395357841&type=1
Link to this
6. sparksphotog 2:46 pm 12/26/2012

Here’s my gallery of my best bird, butterfly, and dragonfly photos of the past year.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookguy/sets/72157632345632529/
Link to this
7. michmarl 3:09 pm 12/26/2012

Here are some of my favorite arthropod shots from ’12. Thanks, Alex!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jialiar/sets/72157632349764746/
Link to this
8. Alex Wild 4:09 pm 12/26/2012

Excellent contributions so far- here, via email, and on facebook. Keep them coming!
Link to this
9. claybolt 4:14 pm 12/26/2012

Some of my favorites from the Southern Appalachians including the little-known Mountain Squid…well…

http://imagesfromtheedge.com/blog/?p=10023
Link to this
10. nervous_jessica 4:49 pm 12/26/2012

Here are a few of my favorite nature shots from 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrosenk/sets/72157632350397032/

It’s a mixture of macro photographs: coral, lichen, ice and more.
Link to this
11. LeaShell 6:03 pm 12/26/2012

Here are some of my favorite nature shots from 2012 – subjects include insects, spiders, fungi, moss, flowers, galls, and lichen! Enjoy!

http://honeywithoutflowers.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-nature-shots-2012.html
Link to this
12. jplatt 6:24 pm 12/26/2012

Here’s my favorite nature shot of this past year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnplatt/8017108510/in/photostream
Link to this
13. andres.snchz 11:13 pm 12/26/2012

Here is my “Best of 2012″
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andresanchez/sets/72157632349219471/
Link to this
14. bobskinner 11:29 am 12/27/2012

Here are some shots from 2012.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/checker66/sets/72157632353368617/
Link to this
15. mattcole 11:43 am 12/27/2012

Hi Alex,

Here’s my selection of my favourite images of UK macro from 2012:

http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/top-10-images-of-2012.html

best wishes

Matt Cole
Link to this
16. JeroenMentens 3:19 pm 12/27/2012

My top 10: http://faunaflora.blogspot.be/2012/12/the-best-of-2012.html
The text is in dutch but the images speak for themselves
Link to this
17. nemertea 3:33 pm 12/27/2012

Here are a few of my favorites from the year. http://snakephotographer.com/blog/?p=228
Link to this
18. Harlan Ratcliff 7:17 pm 12/27/2012

Here is my entry: http://therousedbear.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/best-of-the-year/
Thanks.
Link to this
19. StefDeGreef 6:01 am 12/28/2012

Here are my 12 favourite shots I took in Cambodia in 2012 for the Meet Your Neighbours Project : http://smu.gs/YomNC5
Best,
Stéphane De Greef
Link to this
20. mjmahoney 12:58 pm 12/28/2012

Here’s my Faves/Best of 2012 flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/salamandrella/sets/72157632357164967/with/7890789522/
Link to this
21. guillaumedauphin 1:16 pm 12/28/2012

my selection for 2012:

http://guillaumedauphinphoto.blogspot.ca/2012/12/already-time-to-look-on-2012.html
Link to this
22. Todd J. Dreyer 4:50 pm 12/28/2012

My top 12 of 2012 from a backyard moth study.
http://dreyerphotographic.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-12-of-2012-backyard-moths.html
Link to this
23. ChrisVA 11:38 pm 12/28/2012

And my top 12 insect photos: http://lifeonsixlegs.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/my-top-twelve-photos-of-2012/
Link to this
24. BrianTC 1:24 am 12/30/2012

Wow, some really great stuff posted here. Here’s my annual offering http://www.briancutting.com/2012/12/12-favorites-of-2012.html
Link to this
25. wtyler 3:50 am 12/30/2012

Here are a few of my favorites from 2012 – a mix of wildlife, macros, and landscape.

http://billtyler.smugmug.com/Nature/2012/27315963_mH7k59

Bill
Link to this
26. thebugchicks 11:46 pm 12/30/2012

Can’t wait to look at all of these photos! We’ve put together some of our favorites. (We added one photo in here that is NOT good, but it was just too cool and had to be included.) Happy New Year everyone! http://thebugchicks.com/photos/best-shots-of-2012/
Link to this
27. bernardo.cesare 8:06 am 12/31/2012

Hi all,
micROCKScopica is a different (micro) perspective on the natural world:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/microckscopica/8328883261/lightbox/
or
http://www.flickr.com/photos/microckscopica/sets/72157632394053230/with/8328883261/

I hope you like it. Comments are welcome.
Bernardo Cesare
Link to this
28. Just Al 10:55 am 12/31/2012

All right, even though I usually don’t go for qualifying and making lists, you provoked me. My own page can be found at http://wading-in.net/walkabout/2012/12/best-of-2012/

Have a good new year, everyone!
Link to this
29. OscarBlanco 11:16 am 12/31/2012

Some of my macro shots:
https://www.facebook.com/MicroMacroPhoto
Link to this
30. James.Waters 12:33 pm 12/31/2012

My best ant iPhoneography of 2012 (and still using an iPhone 4!):
http://james-waters.zapd.com/ant-macro-iphoneography
Link to this
31. MorganJackson 3:15 pm 12/31/2012

I compiled a few of my favourite photos and blog posts from 2012 – http://www.biodiversityinfocus.com/blog/2012/12/31/looking-back-on-2012/
Link to this
32. hannes_f 4:56 pm 12/31/2012

These are the best of my nature/science/geek photos from 2012:

http://luhtasela.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/my-favourites-from-the-year-gone-by/
Link to this
33. DragonflyWoman 10:50 pm 12/31/2012

Here is my contribution!

http://thedragonflywoman.com/2012/12/31/the-best-of-the-dragonfly-woman-2012/

Love that you’re doing this!
Link to this
34. UK_wildlife 8:04 am 01/1/2013

My best shots of 2012

http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/best-of-2012/
Link to this
35. setibarbara 8:24 pm 01/1/2013

Here are some science and nature photos from 2012:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14965638@N07/sets/72157632404684319/

Thanks!
Barbara
Link to this
36. gentle lemur 6:02 pm 01/2/2013

I’m afraid I’m rather late for this party, but I hope you may like one or two of these.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanhill/sets/72157632414275601/with/7369824804/

Alan
Link to this
37. tomhouslay 7:12 pm 01/2/2013

I promise next year’s will be better, now I’ve upgraded my camera and bought flights to Borneo..!

http://tomhouslay.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/my-nature-photos-of-2012/
Link to this
38. LisaZ 6:53 pm 01/13/2013

That frog image is amazing!
Here are 12 of my favorite images.
Thanks so much for this prompt!
Lisa from Ecuador
Link to this
39. LisaZ 6:53 pm 01/13/2013

That frog image is amazing!
Here are 12 of my favorite images.
Thanks so much for this prompt!
http://playamart.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/2012-best-of-nature/
Lisa from Ecuador
Link to this
40. BWBeacham 11:09 am 02/8/2013

I did not get the email that your site indicated would come…

Regardless, I wanted to submit a photo that I was lucky to catch of a Katydid…

http://salmonfishingqueen.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/the-green-of-envy-a-wild-weekly-photo-challenge/katydid-green-2/

I hope that you folks enjoy this photo! BW Beacham
Link to this

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