Your stories of hope and wonder
We asked you to submit your stories of hope and wonder—and we learned that our readers are brimming with joy and delight in our natural world.
© Will Burrard-Lucas / WWF-US
Rattlesnake encounter
I was once watching a pair of prairie rattlesnakes during their courtship ritual. The male was tapping his chin up the length of her body while flicking his tongue and wrapping his tail around hers. I stood still and before I knew it they were on my feet but they were so intent on each other they didn’t notice me. It was awe inspiring.
—Dennis
© WWF-US / Clay Bolt
Menacing moose
We were at a friend’s house and a moose came by the window. The moose was decidedly menacing towards the kids that peered out at it. My son was captivated by the moose and continued to track it as it left the house, long after others lost interest. It is one of his favorite stories to tell. This is the version he told me for you:
“Can you tell me the story about the moose?”
“Nyea, ah, ah, A grumpy moose eating big sticks and little sticks and Grumpy Moose looked at us! Walking in the snow. Plop the snow on the head! Tee Tee.”
“The snow dropped on its head?”
“Nyea.”
“From where?”
“Ah, on the ground!”
“Oh dear, thank you Osar.”
—Osar (age 2, story transcribed)
© Sarah Pietrkiewicz
Underwater world
I have always felt at home in water, so snorkeling in a beaver pond during a WWF media field trip was never NOT an option. Of course the hope of seeing a beaver on my underwater excursion was high but as often happens I found myself mesmerized by miniscule pieces of nature. The way the sunlight beamed through the underwater grasses revealing tiny fishes hiding in the shadows, the dragonfly that perched atop a cattail, the sound of the stream slowly flowing over the carefully constructed beaver dam. Even though the beavers eluded me, I still felt like they had welcomed me into their home and showed me some of their treasures.
—Madalen Howard
© Charlotte Sams / WWF-UK
Close call
Years ago, I was on a beach in Indonesia during low tide, walking through tide pools and looking at sea life. I saw one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen, a blue-ringed octopus, about the size of a golf ball, glowing fluorescent blue. Without thinking, I picked it up and played with it. I did not know it was one of the most venomous animals in the ocean. Later, I posted a photo, and people told me how dangerous it was. The blue-ringed octopus, despite its small size, carries enough venom to kill over 20 adult humans within minutes. It did not bite me. Since then, I have learned not to touch wildlife and I no longer eat octopus.
—Ksenia Dubova
© Jürgen Freund / WWF
Suburban wildlife
After the holidays we set up our Christmas tree in the backyard and decorated it with pinecones filled with bird seed. Our security camera is just above it, and my sons love checking our cool "camera trap" every morning to see which visitors came by overnight. They've been overjoyed by sightings of prowling foxes, waddling raccoons, wild-eyed opossum, skittering squirrels and puffed-up birds. Amazing what we can see in our suburban backyard!
—Giavanna Grein
© Sarah Pietrkiewicz
Make way for ducklings
One day I was driving home from the office and noticed a mother mallard duck with brand new ducklings attempting to cross the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. They had SO far to go. My anxiety took over and I moved my car in the lane closest to them and jumped out. Putting on my flashers and helping direct the ducks to safety. At first, people couldn't see what I was doing. THEY WERE LIVID. They honked and yelled. But once they passed my annoying car, they saw what I was doing. They cheered. They clapped. They shouted encouraged words and apologized. Everyone got it. It was a moment when I was reminded that we can help one another by slowing down. It was a true moment of hope for me.
—Danielle Brigida
© Berit Kessler/Shutterstock
In the way
The Red-shouldered hawks were back in the tall Cottonwood and Sycamore woodlands along the creek. They made a point with their conspicuous call. “Kee-aah” a noisy alarm on my every walk along the creek for years now. They were back. I was in their way.
Today, just as I started, “Kee-aah, Kee-aah” high and directly overhead. High they were. Below them, and between us, were two Red – tail hawks making lazy circles in the sky. The Red-shouldered hawks were very upset!
Seconds passed. One of my guys tucked its wings and plunged at a Red-tail hawk. They appeared to collide. With wings tucked they tumbled in a common space. Then, flared apart.
Tomorrow, I'll know.
—John Scanlan
© SunflowerMomma/Shutterstock
Gentle encouragement
Last spring, I conducted research on endangered coral species in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. When surveying a particularly depressing plot of dead Staghorn coral, surrounded by moon jellyfish and kicked-up sediment, I found myself face-to-face with a Caribbean reef octopus. That encounter was the gentle encouragement I needed to remind me why I went out into the field every day: to advocate for the nature that cannot advocate for itself.
—Stella McKitrick
© Alex Hyde / naturepl.com
Standing out
A few weeks ago, I was running through my neighborhood when I spotted the most curious thing. It was an albino squirrel—completely snow white, with piercing red eyes—and he was looking right at me. I stopped dead in my tracks, and we contemplated one another. I couldn’t help but wonder how beautiful he looked in contrast with the yellow-green foliage (it was late fall). And how lucky I was to see a creature so commonly uncommon. I can’t remember who looked away first.
—Callie Cho
© dvlcom - www.dvlcom.co.uk/Shutterstock
Chaotic curiosity
I was travelling in Africa a few summers ago on a safari and we saw a cheetah chasing an impala in circles and a fox-like animal was spectating them on the side and running around too trying to get a closer look.
—Chloe, Age 17
© WWF-US / Alex Rosenberg