Valentines Day Feb. 14, 2024

Love is in the air as Valentine"s Day arrives! This holiday is often associated with various romantic symbols, such as Cupid or Romeo and Juliet, the famous star-crossed lovers of William Shakespeare. Symbols of love can also be found in nature, such as red-crowned cranes, seen today in the reed marshes and frozen lakes of Hokkaido Island, Japan. These graceful birds engage in captivating mating dances to strengthen their lifelong bond—and symbolise good fortune, longevity and fidelity in Japanese culture. These gentle creatures even inspired a traditional paper craft, the origami crane; according to legend, folding a thousand cranes can grant wishes.

© Steve Bloom Images/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Love is in the snow
Feb. 14, 2025Happy Valentines Day!
Feb. 14, 2026Happy Valentines Day!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 9, 2025Canadian Tulip Festival
Whats blooming so brightly?
Jul 1, 2026Canada Day
Apr. 1, 2024April Fools Day
What are these colourful insects?
Blue as far as the eye can see
May 1, 2025Lei Day
Jan. 8, 2024Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
Apr. 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Mar. 15, 2026Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Sep. 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Jan. 21, 2026Eurasian red squirrel
What the heck is a distaff?
Dec. 14, 2024Christmas Bird Count turns 125
Mar. 12, 2024Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
Aug. 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan, USA
Apr. 19, 2026Mirror Beach, Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil
Jellies in a world of their own
Sep. 4, 2025The 50th Toronto International Film Festival
Trails leading to the gateway of nature.
Nov. 10, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
Jun. 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
What are these predators doing?
Sep. 3, 2024Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
Stars in daylight
Sep. 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
Oct. 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon
Southern tip of a northern isle
Aug. 21, 2024Nazca boobies, Wolf Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
May 18, 2026International Museum Day