Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA Mar 23, 2026

The strength of nature is nowhere more evident than in powerful storms. Scary? Yes. Fascinating? Even more so. Learning to understand and respect these forces is how people learn to live alongside them. The image of lightning over saguaro cacti captures that balance perfectly. The Sonoran Desert, spanning 260,000 square kilometres across the United States and Mexico, may appear dry and still, but it hosts one of North America"s most dynamic desert climates.

© Jack Dykinga/Nature Picture Library

palette

Today in History

Mar 23, 2024Large anvil clouds, Amazon, Brazil
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 12, 2024Dolphin pod near Réunion island
Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Nov 6, 2023Lago Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
May 22, 2024Tasmanian snow gum, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Mar 8, 2026The Brocken, Harz National Park, Germany
Oct 9, 2025Pillars of Creation
Oct 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Wyoming, United States
Dec 31, 2023Phra Nakhon Khiri, Thailand
Jan 23, 2024Maldives
Feb 4, 2024Devetashka Cave, Devetaki, Bulgaria
Dec 13, 2024St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States
Feb 14, 2025Magellanic penguins
Mar 19, 2025A black heron canopy hunting in Botswana
Sep 11, 2025Peña Falcon rock, Monfragüe National Park, Spain
Apr 12, 2025View from the cupola of the International Space Station
Apr 8, 2024European hedgehog
June 5, 2026Sarek National Park, Laponia, Lapland, Sweden
Apr 28, 2026Spectacled bear resting in tree, Ecuador
Sep 17, 2023Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
Mar 13, 2024Lesser flamingos, Lake Magadi, Kenya
Jan 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States
Jan 26, 2025European beech forest, Belgium
May 9, 2025Common chameleon
Aug 16, 2026Pedra Furada, Jericoacoara, Brazil
Feb 27, 2026Polar bear cub, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, United States
Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Jan 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Jan 9, 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
Sep 5, 2024Toronto, Canada