Black-tailed prairie dogs Nov 10, 2025

In 1978, a stark stretch of South Dakota prairie gained recognition as one of America"s natural treasures. Badlands National Park, carved by wind and water, was redesignated from national monument to national park status, securing stronger protection within the United States" National Park System. Its cliffs and spires rise above fossil beds that reveal ancient rhinoceroses, camels and subtropical seas. Yet the park is not only a window into the past; it also safeguards one of the largest remaining tracts of mixed-grass prairie in the country.

© Greg Vaughn/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 7, 2025Plum blossoms, China
Oct 28, 2023Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States
Aug 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, USA
Apr 10, 2026Two young red foxes at Karula National Park, Estonia
Feb 12, 2026Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Feb 16, 2025Humpback whale mother and calf
Jun 24, 2024Kelimutu, Flores, Indonesia
Mar 2, 2026Harbour and longtail boats at Ko Samui, Thailand
Jan 22, 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Dec 26, 2025Lakes of Covadonga, Asturias, Spain
Sep 5, 2023Mount Segla, Senja Island, Norway
May 3, 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
June 22, 2026Quinault rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington state, USA
Jan 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Mar 12, 2024Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
Jun 16, 2025Sea turtle, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Apr 18, 2025Göreme Historical National Park in Cappadocia, Türkiye
July 24, 2026American flamingos, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Dec 19, 2025Bormio, Lombardy, Italy
Jul 18, 2025Eucalyptus forest, Urubici, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Oct 29, 2024Great horned owl
Aug 30, 2024Whale shark
Jan 3, 2024Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada
Sep 21, 2023Inside the Nobel Peace Centre, Oslo, Norway
Dec 6, 2023Dardagna waterfalls, Bologna, Italy
Sep 30, 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA
Aug 27, 2025Sørvágsvatn lake, island of Vágar, Faroe Islands
Feb 29, 2024Eurasian red squirrel
Jul 18, 2024Coral reef in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte, France