Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States Jul 15, 2025

Featured in today"s image is Great Basin National Park in Nevada, United States, where ancient bristlecone pines stand beneath a sky ablaze with shooting stars. These remarkable trees are the oldest non-clonal species on Earth. Shaped by relentless wind, snow and rain, they"ve endured for millennia—witnessing ice ages, volcanic eruptions and the rise and fall of civilisations. Their incredibly slow growth results in wood that"s dense and highly resistant to insects, fungi, decay and erosion. Against all odds, the Great Basin bristlecones cling to life on barren limestone ridges, twisting into forms that appear almost sculpted by time. Their scattered presence across isolated mountain ranges may be due to wind dispersal, the help of birds like the Clark"s nutcracker, or even now-extinct species that once carried their seeds across the highlands.

© Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Jul 15, 2024Tateishi Park, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
July 15, 2026Marie Lake, John Muir Wilderness near Bishop, California, USA

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 9, 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
Sept 5, 2026Green-crowned brilliant hummingbirds in Costa Rica
May 8, 2024Château dIf, Marseille, France
Oct 1, 2024Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Oct 17, 2023Torra di a Parata, Corsica, France
May 27, 2024Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Italy
Jun 8, 2025Steller sea lions
Jul 26, 2024Pont Neuf over the Seine, Paris, France
May 23, 2025Yellow-spotted river turtle, Amazon Region, Ecuador
Sep 26, 2025Least chipmunk
Apr 8, 2026Seattle, Washington, United States
Apr 25, 2025Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Nov 8, 2024Glacial rivers, Iceland
Jul 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Sept 11, 2026Villefranche-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France
June 15, 2026Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, United States
Aug 5, 2025Tide pools in La Jolla, California, United States
Oct 11, 2024Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia, Canada
Aug 28, 2024Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paris
Jul 9, 2025Constitución railway station, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jan 18, 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
May 13, 2024Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Nov 6, 2023Lago Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Feb 28, 2024Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
Sep 3, 2024Crystal Lake in the Enchantments, Washington, United States
Jul 11, 2025Tokyo at sunrise, Japan
Dec 21, 2025Dawn light through frosty trees, Sweden
Feb 3, 2026Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe, California, United States
May 31, 2026Everglades National Park, Florida, United States