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In this era of uncertainty, let’s look to mother nature for a small measure of good news in what often appears otherwise in the era of COVID-19.

Cathedral senior Olivia Waycaster found artistic inspiration in nature when she painted her entry in the Mississippi Junior Duck Stamp program.

In multicolored brushstrokes of acrylic paint, Waycaster created her portrait of a Hooded Merganser duck. The lightning bolt shaped pattern in the duck’s feather inspired Waycaster to name the duck “Bolt.”

With encouragement from her art teacher, Andree Gamberi, Waycaster spent two and a half months meticulously detailing the duck and its surrounding.

Recently, Waycaster discovered that “Bolt” won best in show in the state competition. Congratulations to Waycaster for her accomplishments.

Other readers have followed Waycaster’s lead and turned toward nature during this age of isolation and social distancing. Local residents submitted beautiful photographs of nature’s display as part of the newspaper’s daily “Your Take” feature.

Diana Glaze focused on the vivid color of a red poppy and the radial pattern created by its seed pod and stamen in the striking photo she took in Scotland.

Robert Greene submitted a photo of an industrious squirrel enjoying his stash of acorns and nuts. The close-up picture details each strand of hair in the animal’s bushy tail.

Bob Strader submitted a picture of a beautiful Louisiana iris in bloom. The flower’s deep magenta colors with bright yellow stripes must certainly be a striking feature in his bright verdant green landscape.

Each of the pictures from Glaze, Greene and Strader — along with Waycaster’s artwork — show how wonderfully varied the world continues to be, even as most of the world’s population has sought shelter from the spread of a deadly virus.

As we continue to venture into the unknown, let’s always take a moment to experience the joy in God’s creation.