Lavender rows, Plateau de Valensole, Provence, France Jul 5, 2026

In southeastern France, on the Valensole Plateau, summer arrives in waves of purple and blue. Valensole—one of the largest plateaus in the region—lies in the Verdon Regional Natural Park between the Durance and Asse valleys, near the Gorges du Verdon and its lakes. From mid-June to early July, depending on altitude and weather, lavender and lavandin bloom and transform the landscape into one of Provence"s most recognisable sights. The air carries a sharp, dry and unmistakably Mediterranean scent.

© Robert Harding/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Pick your paradise
This island is more than a mile high
Jul 5, 2024Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia
Jul 5, 2025Tour de France

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Is it green with envy?
Aug 13, 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah, United States
Colours of Colorado
Sep 14, 2024Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island, Chile
Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Nov 4, 2023American bison
Dec 31, 2023New Years Eve!
The sprout with amazing potential
As curious about you as you are about them
Dec 23, 2025Reindeer, Lapland, Finland
Aug 2, 2024Virgin Islands National Park, Saint John, United States
Mar 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye
Dec 9, 2024Two Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Sep 30, 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia
Sep 2, 2024Rhino mother and calf, Kaziranga National Park, Assam
What is this grand structure?
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Get ready for the blood moon
Apr 11, 2026Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
Desert daggers?
Nov 30, 2023Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
Feb 2, 2026Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany
Feb 23, 2025Mount Fuji Day
Jan 26, 2026Republic Day
Aug 11, 2025Village of Santa Maddalena, Dolomites, Italy
Black-and-white bovines
A city so nice they made it twice
Oct 21, 2024Cypress trees in George L. Smith State Park, Georgia, United States
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Dec 30, 2025Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan