Are you excited for World Turtle Day? From tiny, cute baby turtles to massive 1,500 pound leatherbacks, these fascinating animals can be found in almost every ecosystem around the world. Carrying their shells, they’re at home wherever they roam. Human intervention has threatened some turtle species, so please make sure you don’t disturb or distract them, especially nesting sea turtles. Photo of green sea turtles at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge by Daniel W. Clark, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Running inland from protective fjords, Three Saints Bay in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska looks like a calm lake on a still day. The refuge is home to a spectacular variety of landscapes and wildlife. With mountains, rivers, tundra, forests, wetlands and coastline, it’s like seeing all of Alaska on a single island. Photo by Robin Corcoran, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Lake Clark National Park is a land of stunning beauty with steaming volcanoes, craggy mountains and foraging bears. Solitude is found around every bend in the river and shoulder of a mountain. Venture into the park to become part of this Alaska wilderness. Photo by Kara Lewandowski, National Park Service.

Exploring Mount Rainier National Park in Washington in the summer, famous naturalist John Muir called it “a garden filled knee-deep with fresh, lovely flowers of every hue, the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.” Photo by Rip Rippey (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Sunrise in the Appalachian Mountains can be an awe-inspiring sight. Sitting on an ancient rock and breathing in the cool mountain air, the beauty of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia unfolds before you as the first rays of sun sweep down into green valleys and misty hollows. No matter how many times you see it, it never gets old. Photo by N. Lewis, National Park Service.

Here’s why they call male bighorn sheep rams. During the mating season or “rut” in November and December, the rams butt heads while sparring for females. The massive impacts can break horns and sends a cracking noise echoing through the mountains. It’s an incredible natural event to witness. Photo from the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming by Adam Jewell (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Here’s a moment of zen for you. A view from a sea cave reveals a golden sunrise over the vast waters of Lake Superior at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin. The picturesque shoreline of brown stone and green forest radiates a feeling of peace. Breathe deep, greet the morning and then spend the day exploring this special park. Photo by Michael Dewitt (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Boundary Reservoir Recreation Area in eastern Washington is the perfect place for an outdoor adventure. Recreation activities include boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking, camping, hiking and nature viewing. You’re going to love soaking in the sun while bobbing on the waves of the calm, blue lake. Photo by Jeff Clark, Bureau of Land Management.

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona opens today! Closed for snow during the winter, visitors can now enjoy sweeping views of this natural wonder from Point Imperial, Cape Royal and Bright Angel Point. Fewer than 10 percent of visitors come to the North Rim, it invokes a sense of solitude and serenity. This is a place that invites you to slow down, to ponder, to feel your own innate creativity and to fall in love with this amazing landscape. Photo from Cape Royal by Michael Quinn, National Park Service.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! And thanks for all you do to protect your kids like this mama and baby moose at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. While moose are usually solitary, cows have strong bonds with their calves and are extremely protective. Newborn moose (usually born in early summer) have a reddish hue to their fur when born and will stay with their mother for a year. Photo by Athena Burns (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).