Here at Mass Audubon, we’re all about growing, nurturing, and inspiring nature heroes at every age but we think kids are particularly inspiring. Their unencumbered curiosity for everything they find, their joyful exuberance for exploring the outdoors, and—perhaps most importantly—their innate gift for imagining an ideal world unencumbered by cynicism or limitations make them uniquely qualified to be nature heroes, leading the charge and inspiring us all to make a lasting, positive impact on the natural world.

To celebrate our smallest-but-mightiest nature heroes, here are five photos of kids doing what they do best: reveling in the wonder and beauty of nature. We have an entire category dedicated to People in Nature in our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. The deadline for this year’s contest is September 30, so don’t delay—submit your beautiful nature photography today!

© Debra Bolduc

© Lisa Roberts

© Carolynne Bailey

© Mark Lotterhand

© Lorraine Jackson