Fireflies glowing above a stream, Okayama Prefecture, Japan Jul 3, 2026

In Okayama Prefecture, when humid air settles over a stream, hotaru—Japan"s fireflies—begin signaling. On warm, windless evenings, they often start glowing about two hours after sunset under favorable conditions, inviting silence beside water.

© tdub303/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 3, 2018To the 155th on the 155th
Jul 3, 2019Keep calm and drive on (slowly)
Jul 3, 2020Dog days of summer
Jul 3, 2021Diving into the underwater nirvana
Jul 3, 2022Dog days of summer
Jul 3, 2023The dog days of summer
Jul 3, 2024World Meerkat Day
Jul 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 30, 2020We re gonna need a bigger birdhouse
Feb 12, 2019To Roswell, and beyond!
Dec 12, 2023Poinsettia Day
Jan 10, 2022Ski touring in Austria
Feb 13, 2021Four little birds sitting in a tree…
Sep 23, 2020A tree of many memories
Nov 5, 2022Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
Apr 25, 2018National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
Jan 3, 2022Lick Observatory
Feb 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
Oct 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park
Sep 22, 2019Barcelona bids farewell to summer
Mar 6, 2024Wahclella Falls, Oregon
Apr 9, 2022Light show at the skatepark
Aug 27, 2024Young black caiman, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
Aug 28, 2020A prison fit for a count
Mar 3, 2022World Wildlife Day
Aug 9, 2021A tribute to the ancestors
Feb 18, 2025The Great Blue Hole, Belize
Oct 18, 2019Fall color sweeps across the West
Aug 30, 2020Hay, what s up?
Jul 14, 2026Shark Awareness Day
Dec 15, 2022Borovets ski resort in Bulgaria
Sep 19, 2020Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
Nov 13, 2022River Quoich in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Jul 5, 2025Tour de France begins
Nov 14, 2020Decorating for Diwali
Jan 15, 2018Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC
Aug 26, 2020Spotted Lake emerges
Nov 11, 2023Veterans Day