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Mar 27, 2020Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…

Azaleas are in peak bloom during March at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens near Charleston, South Carolina. Each year a vibrant forest blooms with hundreds of native and hybrid varieties, including 15 azaleas once thought to be extinct.Desktop Version

Mar 26, 2020Gray days ahead in Monterey

If you need another reason to visit Big Sur in California, we have a whale of a reason for you. In late winter and early spring, thousands of gray whales, many with calves in tow, swim by this part of the Pacific coast as they migrate from the warm waters of Baja California to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. Come winter, they pass by again on the swim south. The entire round-trip route clocks in at about 12,000 miles, making gray whales among the longest migrators of the animal kingdom. Because they travel close to the coastline, it"s also one of the few whale migrations you can see from shore.Desktop Version

Mar 25, 2020It s Tolkien Reading Day

For Tolkien Reading Day, we"re featuring Oxford University"s Radcliffe Camera, the reading room for the Bodleian Library, which is home to the world"s largest archive of J.R.R. Tolkien"s original manuscripts and drawings. While Tolkien never worked in the Radcliffe Camera (Latin for "room"), he both studied at Oxford (graduating in 1915 with first-class honors in English language) and taught here as a professor.Desktop Version

Mar 24, 2020Springtime in the Mediterranean

European bee-eaters really do eat bees, and other insects as well. They catch bugs midair and if the bugs have poisonous stingers, they’ll carry them to a perch and pound them to rub out the venom, making them safe to eat. You can find these jewel-toned birds throughout Europe, especially in nature reserves and parks. These two are enjoying the abundant sunshine in the Extremadura region of Spain, one of the best areas for birdwatching on the continent.Desktop Version

Mar 23, 2020A peak in the clouds

World Meteorological Day brings us to Washington"s Mount Rainier, a huge stratovolcano with a habit of creating its own weather systems. Jutting out about 2 miles above the surrounding landscape, its high altitude interrupts the flow of air that comes in off the Pacific Ocean, creating dramatic weather such as the saucer-shaped clouds on our homepage. They"re called lenticular clouds, and because of their distinctive appearance, they"ve been suggested as an explanation for some UFO sightings. Thanks to the science of meteorology, we know they"re a normal weather phenomenon, commonly occurring on the downwind side of obstructions such as mountains, buildings, or other tall structures.Desktop Version

Mar 22, 2020Celebrating World Water Day

The stepwell that these women are climbing is an apt image to mark World Water Day. Stepwells originated in western India over a thousand years ago as way for locals in that arid climate to easily and reliably access fresh water—even during the driest months. The Panna Meena Ka Kund stepwell in Jaipur is a classic example of the beautiful, regular, geometric architecture used to produce these useful public works. Most stepwells also feature shaded side chambers where locals (primarily women) can gather to escape the heat of the day.Desktop Version

Mar 21, 2020It s World Poetry Day

For World Poetry Day, we"re seeing the stylized visage of poet Pablo Neruda projected on a building in his native Chile. World Poetry Day was established by UNESCO to acknowledge "that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings." Neruda, a Nobel laureate generally held up by Chileans as their national poet, made his early mark with famously racy love poetry. But his palette of questions and feelings evolved, expanding into surrealism, epic history, and radical politics. His death in 1973 after a bout with cancer was mourned publicly by Chileans—in defiance of newly installed dictator Augusto Pinochet, whom many Chileans link to Neruda"s untimely passing.Desktop Version

Mar 20, 2020Heron lies the Salton Sea

Migratory bird species are predictable frequent fliers, taking to the sky to travel along roughly the same route, at the same time, every year. Following sources of food and water along the way, the birds often fly great distances to reach breeding grounds or places to spend the winter. Today, we"re looking at an important stopover for migratory birds—California"s largest lake, the Salton Sea.Desktop Version

Mar 19, 2020Sunburst at Angkor

The spring equinox finds us at Angkor Wat, the most famous Buddhist temple in Angkor Archaeological Park. The park is essentially a 154-square-mile collection of historic temples and related holy sites just outside the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia. On the equinox, when the sun rises it aligns with the top of the main tower at Angkor Wat before climbing farther into the sky to usher in longer days and shorter nights. Of course, if this photo is any indication, every sunrise at Angkor Wat is spectacular.Desktop Version

Mar 18, 2020A stroll above the stratosphere

If this photo from 200-plus miles above Earth dizzies you, imagine how it felt to be Alexei Leonov on March 18, 1965. The Soviet cosmonaut achieved the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA—but you and I just call it a spacewalk). He spent about 12 minutes outside the orbiting Voskhod 2 capsule. It was the ultimate risk: No one knew just what could happen to a human body in the vacuum of space. Near heatstroke, drenched with sweat, and with his suit dangerously inflating, Leonov barely made it back inside the airlock.Desktop Version

Mar 17, 2020It s a good day to be green

For St. Patrick"s Day, we"re featuring an image of the Knowth passage grave, part of Brú na Bóinne, or the Boyne Valley tombs, about an hour"s drive north of Dublin. In addition to Knowth, this UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the Newgrange and Dowth passage graves, henges, standing stones, and a significant portion of Western Europe"s megalithic art. Knowth, the largest passage grave in the complex, is a 40-foot-high mound with a diameter of 220 feet; two east-west passages run under it that lead to separate burial chambers. The structures predate St. Patrick by nearly 4,000 years, and their original purpose is unclear—but on this day dedicated to celebrating all things Irish, they show off the engineering capabilities of the area"s ancient population as well as the natural green beauty of the Irish countryside.Desktop Version

Mar 16, 2020I ll call for pen and ink

"…and write my mind." It"s Shakespeare Week in schools across the UK, so we"re field-tripping to the British Library for a peek at the only surviving specimen of what"s thought to be playwright William Shakespeare"s handwriting (if you don"t count legal documents). The scratchy cursive is inked within the script of Anthony Munday"s "Sir Thomas More," a then-controversial play about a king-defying statesman. In 1603, the censorial Royal Office of the Revels brought in Shakespeare among a team of writers to retool the script. But if Shakespeare"s task was to tone things down, he may have had other ideas: His three-page addition includes an impassioned speech by the title character to a mob that"s rioting over immigration policy.Desktop Version

Mar 15, 2020Celebrating 200 years of statehood

We"re wandering out onto the striated coastal rocks of Maine"s Pemaquid Point at sunrise to mark 200 years since Maine joined the Union as the 23rd US state. With roughly 5,000 miles of jagged, rocky coastline, Maine is studded with dozens of lighthouses, and the light at Pemaquid Point is one of the most celebrated—and historic. First, that history: President John Quincy Adams commissioned the lighthouse in 1827, but it needed to be rebuilt in 1835 after the original began falling apart. (Note: Don"t use salt water when mixing your mortar.) Maine residents chose the Pemaquid Point Light for display on their state"s coin as part of the US 50 State Quarters Program.Desktop Version

Mar 14, 2020A circular celebration

It"s Pi Day, the day we celebrate the mathematical constant π. This day was chosen because today"s date, March 14, expressed numerically, matches the number"s first digits, 3.14. Pi represents the ratio of a circle"s circumference to its diameter. It can be used to compute the area and circumference of a circle, such as the circles that make up this bridge we"re looking at here in Copenhagen. (Who said math wasn"t useful in the real world?) Many people mark the day with activities based around mathematics—and most also serve pie. We can"t think of a more delicious way to study geometry.Desktop Version

Mar 13, 2020Jerte Valley in bloom

As winter turns to spring in the Jerte Valley, all eyes are on the cherry blossoms. This tiny region in the province of Cáceres, Spain, has the perfect microclimate for cherry trees, and there are more than 1.5 million of them here in 23 square miles. The cherry blossoms last just two weeks before the petals rain down, covering the entire valley. About 40 days later, the first cherries are ready to be picked. Locals make wine, beer, and various foods with them. Cherries are also used for spa and beauty treatments, since they have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to vitamins and ellagic acid.Desktop Version

Mar 12, 2020Fiesta at Siesta

Here we are in mid-March already, the time of year when college-age revelers invade the world"s beaches, like this one on Florida"s Siesta Key. Located in Sarasota County off the state"s western shore, the island beach is a fixture on lists of America"s top beaches, a standout even in a state where soft, welcoming sands compose over half the 1,200-mile coastline.Desktop Version

Mar 11, 2020Anybody out there?

This is the time of year that polar bears emerge from their winter dens. In today"s photo, these adorable cubs are peeking out for the first time in their young lives. Polar bears don"t technically hibernate, but in fall, a pregnant female polar bear will dig a maternity den in the snow (although in some areas it"ll be under the peat soil). While in her small den, the bear enters a dormant state, sleeping nearly all the time, until she gives birth, usually between November and February. Then in spring she"ll dig herself out and emerge with her recently arrived cubs. Polar bear cubs stay with their mother for about two years as they learn to survive in the Arctic.Desktop Version

Mar 10, 2020A festival of colors

Hindus in India and around the globe are celebrating Holi today, a spring celebration also called the festival of love, or the festival of colors. Why colors? Because these colorful powders are flung in joyous revelry to welcome spring and celebrate the blossoming of love. It is a time to forget old grievances and hope for a bountiful spring harvest season.Desktop Version

Mar 9, 2020This grizzly has Napping Day down

Like the napping grizzly cub in today"s image, we"re guessing you might feel tired after losing an hour of sleep to the start of daylight saving time. So, we"re giving you a great reason to get your nap on—it"s National Napping Day. This sleep-inducing day was created by Boston University professor William Anthony in 1999 and always occurs the Monday after "springing forward." The idea is that losing even just an hour of sleep renders most of us in need of some extra shut-eye. If that describes you, then maybe it"s time to give napping a try.Desktop Version

Mar 8, 2020Joan charges Riverside Park

Joan of Arc leads the charge through New York"s Riverside Park for our celebration of International Women"s Day. This year’s Women"s Day observance is particularly meaningful in the United States because 2020 marks 100 years since American women won the right to vote nationwide. That victory was the result of a long, difficult struggle by suffragists—women who faced ridicule, slander, imprisonment, and outright brutality for their efforts to claim the right to vote. These women often drew inspiration from Joan of Arc, who became a feminist symbol of the female warrior for universal rights. In their marches and demonstrations in the early 1900s, suffragists often dressed as Joan and invoked her heroism in defiance of a male-dominated culture.Desktop Version

Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere

As we in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to greet spring, many in Australia are probably looking forward to the end of a punishing summer. Relatively temperate autumn weather must come as a relief to our friends Down Under. Some are likely greeting the change in seasons with a trip to the pool, like the swimmers in today"s image of the Bronte Baths, an ocean pool located in a Sydney suburb. While seaside swimming pools aren"t unique to Australia, this island country is known for its many oceanside pools, which provide sheltered spots for swimming in places where rocky shorelines and occasional shark attacks can make ocean swimming difficult or dangerous.Desktop Version

Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere

As we in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to greet spring, many in Australia are probably looking forward to the end of a punishing summer. Relatively temperate autumn weather must come as a relief to our friends Down Under. Some are likely greeting the change in seasons with a trip to the pool, like the swimmers in today"s image of the Bronte Baths, an ocean pool located in a Sydney suburb. While seaside swimming pools aren"t unique to Australia, this island country is known for its many oceanside pools, which provide sheltered spots for swimming in places where rocky shorelines and occasional shark attacks can make ocean swimming difficult or dangerous.Desktop Version

Mar 6, 2020Hello, harbinger of spring

Welcome back, little mountain bluebird. Although this bright fellow may be enduring the last of this year"s snow in Yellowstone National Park, his presence means winter will soon be ending. The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and a welcome sign of spring in many cultures. Soon other migratory birds will arrive in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—an 18-million-acre tract that includes Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests. It"s the world"s largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone. What exactly does that mean? Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone 25 years ago, all the animal species that were first documented by European explorers can still be found here.Desktop Version

Mar 6, 2020Hello, harbinger of spring

Welcome back, little mountain bluebird. Although this bright fellow may be enduring the last of this year"s snow in Yellowstone National Park, his presence means winter will soon be ending. The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and a welcome sign of spring in many cultures. Soon other migratory birds will arrive in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—an 18-million-acre tract that includes Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests. It"s the world"s largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone. What exactly does that mean? Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone 25 years ago, all the animal species that were first documented by European explorers can still be found here.Desktop Version

Mar 5, 2020The desert blooms

It"s getting to be wildflower season in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. That means it won"t be long before we see blooms from the big daddy of the cactus world—the saguaro. Our homepage pic shows just a glimpse of this amazing succulent. The saguaro is the largest of them all, with some of the oldest specimens reaching more than 50 feet tall. It can hold huge amounts of water—after plentiful rains when it"s fully hydrated, a saguaro can weigh between 3,200 and 4,800 pounds. In the right conditions, it will live more than 100 years, growing arms as it ages, creating that classic cactus profile that"s associated with the desert and Old West.Desktop Version

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