Sometimes you need to look no further than your own backyard for great photo opportunities. This theme is for those shots.

These are photos taken at Riverbanks Zoo. The Zoo is home to over 3,000 animals, with extensive collections of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Riverbanks serves to protect rare and endangered wildlife and is one of the leading zoological parks in the United States.

These are photos taken at Riverbank's Botanical Gardens.Hailed by Horticulture magazine as one of 10 gardens that inspire and by HGTV as one of 20 great public gardens across America, Riverbanks Botanical Garden boasts 70 acres of unparalleled beauty. Dramatic and themed gardens showcase more than 4,200 species of native and exotic plants.