Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in Utah protects a unique transition zone – the meeting of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin Desert and Mojave Desert. Where these distinct landscapes overlap, unusual plants and animals have evolved, including flowers like the dwarf bearclaw poppy and Shivwits milk-vetch that grow nowhere else on earth. Explore the area’s flora, wildlife and spectacular desert scenery with more than 130 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Photo by Bob Wick @mypubliclands

The largest of the eared or tufted owls in North America, the great horned owl is a wonderful and fascinating bird. Covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against cold weather and help them fly very quietly in pursuit of prey, their short, wide wings allow them to maneuver among the trees of the forest. Rarely seen because of their camouflage coloring, their calls are familiar across the U.S. We wonder what this one is thinking. Photo by Dennis Demcheck, U.S. Geological Survey.