Lavender field, Hertfordshire, England Aug. 5, 2024

As you walk through the landscape of Hertfordshire, England, the beauty of lavender fields unfolds before you, as seen in today"s image. A member of the mint family, lavender originated in the Mediterranean, India and the Middle East. These purple-hued plants have thrived through various civilisations. It was used by the Egyptians for mummification; traces of lavender were discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun. It was also treasured by the Romans for its healing and cleansing properties.

© George W Johnson/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Its puffling season!
Festival fever
Aug. 5, 2025Tide pools in La Jolla, California, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Chilling out on an ice floe
Rugged coasts and temperate rainforests
Mar. 13, 2026Church of Notre Dame de Bon-Port, Les Sables-dOlonne, France
Nov. 5, 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
Jul. 15, 2024Marine Day, Japan
Feb. 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Mar. 15, 2026Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Jul. 25, 2025Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Nov. 29, 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
Mar. 11, 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
Apr. 24, 2024The white trilliums in Ontario, Canada
Oct. 27, 2025Thick-billed raven, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
Mar. 22, 2026World Water Day
Jul. 13, 2024International Rock Day
Zion National Park turns 103
Jul. 17, 2024Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
Aug. 29, 2024Castellfollit de la Roca, Catalonia, Spain
Apr. 20, 2025Happy Easter!
Mar. 9, 2026Grey seal sleeping on the beach, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Jul 22, 2026Coral Reef Awareness Week
Where are these spectacular peaks?
Nov. 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Jul 7, 2026Plate-billed mountain toucan with orchids, Ecuador
Apr. 13, 2025Songkran—Thai New Year
Magnified moss
Jul 1, 2026Canada Day
Mar. 5, 2024Bangkok, Thailand
Apr. 28, 2025Impala in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Nov. 30, 2023Saint Andrews Day
Oct. 2, 2023World Architecture Day