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Bright and colorful peacock feathers
Bright and colorful peacock feathers
Peacock feathers, multicolored and radiant, are instantly recognizable. Their signature "eyespots" flash in the light when a male displays its tail plumage for a nearby female, known as a "peahen."Desktop Version
Manatee Appreciation Day
Manatee Appreciation Day
Today is Manatee Appreciation Day and, given their sweet and friendly nature, it"s hard not to love them. These gentle giants slowly graze through rivers and coastal waters for up to seven hours a day, eating seagrasses and other aquatic plants. They do have teeth, but fear not, they are flat molars used for grinding up vegetation.Desktop Version
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
This trio of peaks, known as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, is located in the Sexten Dolomites of South Tyrol, Italy. The mountain group is one of the best-known in the Dolomites and tourists visit from all over the world to hike its trails. You"ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the peaks from all angles and in the summer, you"ll see a beautiful array of wildflowers. Make sure to plan ahead if you want to hike or camp under the moonlit sky and bring plenty of water and snacks. These peaks are part of the Dolomites World Heritage Site, which was designated in 2009.Desktop Version
New York City skyline
New York City skyline
New York City"s skyline is instantly recognizable, even when half-covered in fog. Eight of the United States" 10 tallest buildings reside there, all in the borough of Manhattan. One of New York City"s most famous landmarks, the Empire State Building, was the world"s tallest building for 41 years.Desktop Version
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
Welcome to the largest state park in the golden state of California, Anza-Borrego. Located about 100 miles northeast of San Diego, the park is well known for its spectacular springtime wildflowers, stunning landscapes, and natural marvels. Spring and early summer are the best times to visit. That"s when you"ll find a myriad of magnificent, blooming species of flowers, including dune primrose, desert sunflowers, and desert sand verbena. These hardy wildflowers can survive in extreme heat and with little water–perfect for California"s driest state park, in which some areas get just 2 inches of rain a year.Desktop Version
Cecil Brewer Staircase, London
Cecil Brewer Staircase, London
This stunning staircase spirals up through three floors at Heal"s department store in central London, where it has been helping shoppers get around in stylish fashion since 1916. It was designed by architect Cecil Brewer ahead of the opening of an in-store art gallery. While the gallery no longer exists, the Cecil Brewer Staircase remains a popular part of the store"s heritage, particularly with photographers looking to capture a little London glamour. The lights at the outer edge of the stairs were added after World War II, and the elegant chandelier cascading from top to bottom was installed in 2013. If you visit, keep an eye out for a bronze cat on a windowsill overlooking the stairs, the store"s not-for-sale official mascot.Desktop Version
Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany
Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany
These pristine, white blooms are wild garlic plants, probably not what comes to mind when you think of flowers. You can get a closer look if you visit the Hainich National Park in Thuringia, Germany. This national park was founded in 1997 to protect its ancient beech forest, which is full of lush deciduous trees.Desktop Version
World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day
They might look like spaceships from a retro sci-fi movie, but these strange shapes hovering above the mountains in Patagonia are of earthly origin. These are lenticular clouds, named after their lens-like shape. They form near hills and mountains where moist air is pushed up and over the peaks, cooling as it rises and condensing into water droplets. As wind blows over the mountains it can create a series of waves in the air, and these unusual clouds form in the crest of those waves.Desktop Version
World Water Day
World Water Day
Lake Powell, which meanders across the Utah-Arizona border, was created when the Glen Canyon Dam was built on the Colorado River in the 1960s. It is one of the two largest reservoirs in the US, alongside its downstream neighbor Lake Mead. Together, they provide water to about 40 million people in seven states, while their respective dams generate crucial hydroelectric power.Desktop Version
International Day of Color
International Day of Color
Wherever there is light, there is color. It lends liveliness and character to the world around us, but we can also use it strategically to convey particular tones and messages. Blue creates a sense of tranquility, purple gives a sense of luxury, and red can express passion or danger. On International Color Day, organizations around the world meet to discuss research and share knowledge about color theory and its use in the fields of industry, arts, science, and design. As you go about your day, stop and take in the colors around you and think about why they were chosen and how they make you feel. It might just make you consider how you use color in your own life.Desktop Version
Spring equinox
Spring equinox
Every year around March 20, the sun aligns with the Earth"s equator, and day and night are about equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is called the spring or vernal equinox, and it marks the astronomical exit of winter into the brighter, warmer springtime. From now on, we can enjoy days that are longer than nights. And a sharp eye might spot a flowering crocus, like the ones in today"s image, among the first flowers to bloom every year.Desktop Version
Barn owl, England
Barn owl, England
Barn owls, distinguished by their white heart-shaped faces, are one of the world"s most widespread birds, found on every continent except Antarctica. They live in woodlands, farms, and on cliffs, but barn owls also enjoy roosting in places like bell towers and barns—hence the name. They are nighttime predators that fly over open lands to hunt rats and mice. During heavy rain, they are unable to hunt because their feathers aren"t waterproof, leaving them vulnerable to starvation during long periods of wet weather. Although some see them as a symbol of wisdom and fortune, their haunting cries and ghostly appearance mean they have often been seen as bad omens in rural areas.Desktop Version
Gamboa Crater, Mars
Gamboa Crater, Mars
It would be pretty tough to live on Mars. It"s cold, dry, and the conditions are harsh. The planet"s average temperature is about –81 degrees Fahrenheit, but it can get as low as –243 at the poles. But with many canyons, extinct volcanoes, and ice caps, it"s beautiful to look at from afar. Most photos of the red planet highlight its rusty color, caused by high levels of iron oxide.Desktop Version
St. Patricks Day in County Waterford, Ireland
St. Patricks Day in County Waterford, Ireland
For St. Patrick"s Day, we"re enjoying this stunning rainbow over Ireland"s southeast coast. Shamrocks, parades, and all things green will be the order of the day as we celebrate the patron saint of the Emerald Isle. While many countries recognize the holiday today, the first celebration was held in Ireland more than 1,000 years ago, remembering the 5th-century missionary and bishop credited with bringing Christianity to the country.Desktop Version
Panda Day
Panda Day
Giant pandas are loved the world over but nowhere more than in China, where they are considered national treasures. On March 16, we celebrate these distinctive bears, which live mainly in forests in the mountains of western China and subsist almost entirely on a diet of bamboo. These black-and-white giants start off small—a newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter—but after eating their way through between 26 and 84 pounds of bamboo a day, male adults can weigh in at up to 300 pounds.Desktop Version
Agüero, Huesca province, Spain
Agüero, Huesca province, Spain
Huddled beneath these pink-gray stone monoliths is the pretty village of Agüero, in Huesca province, northern Spain. The textured cliffs known as the Mallos de Agüero act as a 660-foot-high backdrop to this picturesque village, drawing both climbers and photographers keen on capturing the perfect shot. This hidden gem in the foothills of the Pyrenees has about 130 residents and is popular with tourists, thanks to the 12th-century Church of Santiago. A national monument with intricate stone carvings of beasts and religious scenes, the church was never finished but is considered one of this region"s most beautiful Romanesque temples. If you consider yourself a history buff, a rock climber, or both, put Agüero on your travel list.Desktop Version
Pi Day
Pi Day
Today we"re observing Pi Day with a bird"s-eye view of the hedge maze at Cyherbia Botanical Park near Ayia Napa in Cyprus. It"s the day we celebrate the mathematical constant π. Today"s date, March 14, was chosen because when expressed numerically, it matches the first three digits of pi: 3.14. You remember pi from geometry class—it"s the ratio of the distance around a circle to the distance across it. Pi is used to compute a circle"s area and circumference. The circular labyrinth at the Cyherbia Botanical Park brings the ratio to life and is a must-visit for people who love to solve puzzles. If you"re ready for a challenge, give it a go.Desktop Version
National Napping Day
National Napping Day
It"s tiring losing that hour of sleep as the clocks "spring forward," so let"s relax for a while with these champion nappers, in Tanzania"s Serengeti National Park. One of the most spectacular wildlife ecosystems on the planet, the park is home to rhinos, leopards, elephants, giraffes—and a huge lion population. The grassland here is dotted with rock formations that stick out like islands, the largest of which, the simba kopjes, are popular hangouts for lions and are said to have inspired Pride Rock in "The Lion King." In the heat of the Serengeti, lush trees provide the perfect shelter for lions to take a nap and reenergize. We hope you are as cozy as you curl up and recuperate on National Napping Day.Desktop Version
Lucian Blaga National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Lucian Blaga National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
The Lucian Blaga National Theater, in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, is a cultural icon. Built between 1904 and 1906, it was designed by the famous Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer in the Neo-Baroque style, popular in the late 19th century. This opulent style nodded back to the grandiosity of the Baroque movement, which began in Rome in the 1600s and flourished across Europe. The building houses both the national theater and the Romanian Opera and plays host to a wide array of cultural events here in Romania"s second-largest city.Desktop Version
Marshland, Gloucester, MA
Marshland, Gloucester, MA
Lit by bright New England sunshine, the salt-tolerant grass growing here really stands out against the turquoise sea water lapping against it. Salt marshes are important coastal wetlands that protect shorelines from erosion, are major contributors to the aquatic food web, and provide nurseries for birds, fish, and other wildlife.Desktop Version
Vale of Edale, Peak District, England
Vale of Edale, Peak District, England
Welcome to the Vale of Edale, home to a small village which marks the starting point of one of the UK"s most famous long-distance walks. Edale is one of many dales—or wide valleys—of England"s Peak District National Park, a picturesque area where heather moorland and rocky gritstone landscapes sit side-by-side with rolling uplands. From here, walkers set out on the hilly and remote Pennine Way, covering 268 miles along England"s wildest landscapes up to the Scottish Borders. But if you don"t want to hike that far, excellent walking country surrounds the village itself, which lies to the south of the Peak District"s highest point, Kinder Scout.Desktop Version
Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
The water pictured crashing down the side of Waimea Canyon, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, has come from one of the rainiest places on Earth. Waipo"o Falls is fed by water from Mount Wai"ale"ale, a shield volcano whose name means "overflowing water." The mountain is often shrouded in clouds and experiences a huge amount of rainfall each year—which helps explains those spectacular rainbows.Desktop Version
International Womens Day
International Womens Day
On International Women"s Day, we"re at Madrid"s iconic Cibeles Fountain and City Hall, which have been lit up in purple—one of the day"s official colors, representing justice and dignity. Each year, marchers pass by the Great Mother of the Gods on her chariot drawn by lions, as they turn out in their thousands to campaign for gender equality in Spain"s capital city.Desktop Version
Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
Reflecting the colors of the sky, this spectacular hillside in Yuanyang County, China, is just a small part of the vast Honghe Hani Rice Terraces UNESCO World Heritage Site. For 1,300 years, the local Hani people have carved thousands of these asymmetrical terraces around the contours of the Ailao Mountains in Yunnan province.Desktop Version
Icelandic horses, Iceland
Icelandic horses, Iceland
The Icelandic horse is a small, unique breed that arrived alongside the first Norse settlers in this island country sometime between 860 and 935 CE. More than 1,000 years later, they remain purebred thanks to strict regulations prohibiting the importation of horses. And once exported, they can never come back—rules designed to stop the spread of disease.Desktop Version