Sporting

An illustration of a little girl sitting on the back of a truck with buckets of walnuts in an orchard

This Land

A Southern foraging staple cracks open a lifetime of memories

Sporting

Chasing the stars of the Southern field by land, sea, river, swamp, and farm pond

an illustration of a bass

Sporting

Whether you’re a kid on a farm pond or a world-renowned novelist, it’s hard not to fall for these fish

an illustration of quail

Sporting

Generations apart, a shared devotion rises

an illustration of a woman fishing in mountains

Sporting

A quest to hook a king salmon sets a Southern-born angler on a new course

illustration of a turkey

Sporting

A mountain bird can drive you mad

an illustration of a duck

Sporting

A sunrise in the swamp stirs wings and water

an illustration of a man fishing

Sporting

Deep in Florida’s backcountry, a legendary guide reveals a world of silver giants

Elk in a field

Conservation

After a multi-decade restoration effort, the charismatic herbivores roam Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Virginias—and fall is the best time to spot them

a spoonbill

Seven Southern

Binoculars up! These destinations celebrate the best in birdwatching when temps (finally) dip

crocodile hatchlings

conservation

A banner year for hatchlings, thanks in large part to an unlikely ally

An illustration of a falcon

Conservation

An unlikely coalition helps the striking raptors soar again

an illustration of a dog with a life buoy jumping into water

Good Dog

A water-loving Aussie plunges into the hearts of an Arkansas family

Birds crowd the cypress trees and branches hanging over the water.

Conservation

The Port Royal Cypress Wetlands and Rookery is a stunning ecological success story

Two men fish in a saltwater flat

Sporting

An invigorating trip to the Bahamas—and more classic sporting pursuits

An illustration showing wildlife, including flowers, snakes, butterflies, turtles, and crabs

Conservation

Safeguarding Helene-threatened salamanders, cultivating gulf oysters, boosting mallard habitat, and spreading native grasslands—the work of this year’s under-the-radar Southern eco-heroes is more important than ever

A Venus flytrap in the wild

Land & Conservation

Venus flytraps are native to a tiny corner of the globe: the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. As development threatens, one town—spurred on by one tireless botanist—has taken up the shovel to save the world’s most fascinating plant.

A seal in water

Conservation

A kayaking guide at South Carolina’s Murrells Inlet enjoyed a rare sighting of a harbor seal—and has the photos to prove it

A wood building on a well-landscaped lot

Conservation

Reclaimed wood, native landscaping, and local art shine on fifty acres that will soon house a county park

flattened musk turtle

Conservation

The tiny flattened musk turtle lives within a single watershed in Alabama, and biologists are racing to study it before it’s too late