OXFORD, Ohio — Alice Kahn snapped a photo of a common buckeye butterfly in her backyard – and it was chosen as the winning image of the 2016 Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp (OWLS) contest. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Wildlife sponsors the contest.

"I took this photo not long after my mother died," she said. "I was looking for something to use in her tribute, and I used that as the photo in her memorial service. It was just a perfect butterfly. I didn’t do anything to the butterfly; it just flew in and there it was."

Sean Zimmerman of Blacklick placed second in the competition, and Tami Gingrich of Middlefield won third.

The buckeye butterfly is found in all regions of Ohio. It is can be found in fields, gardens and along roadsides, and has a fondness for mud puddles. The critter is typically seen from July until October.

This particular buckeye flitted into Kahn’s garden, and she captured it forever – but only with her camera. Her hobbies are photography and gardening. She never manipulates the subjects of her photos; the viewer sees just what she sees.

"I like to do nature photography, close-up photography and little things that many other people don’t think are worth looking at," Kahn said. "I do most of my photography here at home. I have planted things on purpose to attract things like butterflies, frogs, toads and skinks."

The goal of the contest is to bring awareness to wildlife diversity conservation in Ohio, said Kendra Wecker, Wildlife Diversity coordinator for the Division of Wildlife.

"One purpose is to raise funds for the projects, but probably beyond that is to raise awareness about the wildlife projects that need diversity conservation," she said. "It is a visible way that people can show that they support wildlife diversity."

The OWLS costs $15, $14 of which goes to the state’s Wildlife Diversity Fund. The customer receives a collectible stamp, a window cling and a commemorative card. The stamp featuring the common buckeye butterfly will be on sale beginning March 1, 2016. They are available online at the Division of Wildlife website (go to http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov and click on "Wild Ohio Customer Center").

In 2016 for the first time the stamps can be purchased wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold; customers can order the stamp there and it will be mailed to them. The subject for the 2017 photo contest will be herons. The rules for the contest can be found at http://bit.ly/1W7J5ej

"It’s been a great program, and it is continuing to grow," Wecker said.