Wildflowers carpet the hillside at Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. The 23,000-acre area is truly an oasis in the desert with four perennial waterways that are the lifeline for this remarkable place. The Gila River canyon section, known as the Gila Box, is composed of patchy mesquite woodlands, mature cottonwoods, sandy beaches and grand buff-colored cliffs. Bonita Creek – popular for birdwatching, hiking and picnicking – is lined with large cottonwoods, sycamores and willows. Cliff dwellings, historic homesteads, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and over 200 species of birds make this year-round watery Arizona spot worth the drive. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.

The superbloom has migrated north to California’s Central Valley, and the show is simply indescribable at Carrizo Plain National Monument. The Valley floor has endless expanses of yellows and purples from coreopsis, tidy tips and phacelia, with smaller patches of dozens of other species. Not to be outdone, the Temblor Range is painted with swaths of wildlflowers in oranges yellow and purple like something out of a storybook. Visitors are flocking to the area to see this explosion of color, and travelers should be prepared with a full tank of gas as there are no services in the monument. Photos by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management (@mypubliclands).

The beauty of nature is a joy we can all share. Every sunrise is a chance to reflect on how we are all connected to the world we live in. For tens of thousands of years, humans have changed, and have been changed by these lands and waters. At Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, first came the Calusa, followed by European explorers of the 1500s, then the Miccosukee, Seminole and other settlers to the area. The rugged terrain challenged many early travelers as they established the watery wilderness of the swamp as their home. Photo by National Park Service.