As part of a river cleanup guided by Living Classrooms, Sheree Pendleton paddles along the Potomac with children Olivia Grace and Hannah Bell during a family day at Kingman and Heritage Islands October 2023. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
As part of a river cleanup guided by Living Classrooms, Sheree Pendleton paddles along the Potomac with children Olivia Grace and Hannah Bell during a family day at Kingman and Heritage Islands October 2023. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)

Some of my most treasured memories with my mom have taken place in nature, from family trips to the beach to sledding in the backyard. Outdoor spaces provide opportunities for connection and learning; for joy and reflection; for awe and peace. 

This Mother’s Day, I’m feeling especially grateful to my mom — who loves to hike and takes beautiful nature photos—for instilling in me a deep love for the natural world.

Our planet feeds, clothes, shelters and calms us; no wonder we so often think of it as “Mother Earth.” Join us in celebrating moms and Mother Nature in the DMV with this collection of photos pulled from community submissions, previous Washington Informer reporting and Belonging: The Black Americans in Nature Photography Project.

Lora Nunn with her two children, Faris (left) and King during a riverboat tour with the Anacostia Watershed Society on May 2 (Courtesy photo)
Lora Nunn with her two children, Faris (left) and King during a riverboat tour with the Anacostia Watershed Society on May 2 (Courtesy photo)
Kailasa Aqeel and her daughter Saa Joy, at Common Good City Farm for a community event and fall festival (Courtesy photo)
Kailasa Aqeel and her daughter Saa Joy, at Common Good City Farm for a community event and fall festival (Courtesy photo)
As part of a river cleanup guided by Living Classrooms, Sheree Pendleton paddles along the Potomac with children Olivia Grace and Hannah Bell during a family day at Kingman and Heritage Islands October 2023. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
As part of a river cleanup guided by Living Classrooms, Sheree Pendleton paddles along the Potomac with children Olivia Grace and Hannah Bell during a family day at Kingman and Heritage Islands October 2023. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
Alfie Chambers and Matilda Machioli-Chambers at Soldiers Delight in Owings Mills, Maryland (Benjamin Israel/Taking Nature Black & U.S. Forest Service, Belonging Project)
Alfie Chambers and Matilda Machioli-Chambers at Soldiers Delight in Owings Mills, Maryland (Benjamin Israel/Taking Nature Black & U.S. Forest Service, Belonging Project)
Elaine Tutman and Fred Tutman at Jones Farm, a piece of land that the family has owned since 1925 and passed down through four generations of mothers and daughters (Myron Fields/Taking Nature Black & U.S. Forest Service, Belonging Project)
Elaine Tutman and Fred Tutman at Jones Farm, a piece of land that the family has owned since 1925 and passed down through four generations of mothers and daughters (Myron Fields/Taking Nature Black & U.S. Forest Service, Belonging Project)

Kayla Benjamin covers climate change & environmental justice for the Informer as a full-time reporter through the Report for America program. Prior to her time here, she worked at Washingtonian Magazine...

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