In the spring 2026 issue of National Wildlife Magazine, Steven David Johnson, professor of Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) at EMU, writes about how his daughter’s school project building a small backyard pond turned into a family native plant landscaping effort bringing biodiversity to their yard.
Johnson’s photography of the pond and its bountiful wildlife—think butterflies, hummingbirds, and frogs—are beautifully captured on the magazine’s cover and its glossy pages, as well as online.
Read his story and view the photos here.
As a result of the project, Johnson wrote, “we went from seeing an occasional wandering toad to now having a fully functioning ecosystem.”
“For me, this is a story of hope,” he said. “Tackling the extinction crisis can seem overwhelming, but everyday folks can transform their backyards into an oasis for wildlife.”
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