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Dec 20, 2018Seasonal lights dazzle in Japan

This is just a glimpse of the elaborate light display at Nabana-no-Sato, a flower park located in the garden of Nagashima Spa Land in Kuwana, Japan. Millions of LED light bulbs are used here to illuminate the grounds and create shimmering pathways, tunnels, and patterns. Winter illuminations like this have grown in popularity at Japan’s parks, and they often stay up long after the holidays, providing a bright distraction from winter’s long nights.Desktop Version

Jul 21, 2020Belgium celebrates its independence

On July 21, Belgium celebrates its independence from the Netherlands and the anniversary of the establishment of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. The holiday brings us to the bank of the River Meuse across from the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame de Dinant, the best-known landmark in the Belgian town of Dinant in Namur province. For such a small city (population about 14,000), Dinant has a rich history. It"s the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, and has a museum dedicated to his life and instruments. The Charles de Gaulle Bridge, which crosses the Meuse, is lined with 28 saxophone sculptures, each one representing a different country in the European Union. Namur province is also the birthplace of Leffe beer, which was brewed by monks in the abbey of Leffe starting in 1240.Desktop Version

Nov 29, 2020New Zealand s loneliest mountain

According to the legends of New Zealand"s Indigenous Māori people, the lonely Mount Taranaki wasn"t always lonely. Taranaki, the story goes, once lived among other mountains in the North Island"s center. But Taranaki feuded with the powerful volcano Tongariro over the love of the pretty peak Pīhanga. In their epic battle, the now flat-topped Tongariro lost his head but emerged victorious. The vanquished Taranaki wandered west, cutting trenches as he trudged to the shore and filling them with lovesick tears to create the region"s rivers.Desktop Version

Jan 20, 2021Penguins can t fly!

Unlike most other birds, penguins can"t fly, though this one sure looks like it"s trying—or jumping for joy since today is Penguin Awareness Day. Actually, these gentoo penguins on Danco Island, just off the Antarctic Peninsula, were photographed leaping out of the water as they returned to their nests for breeding season, which starts in November.Desktop Version

Feb 28, 2018Isla del Pescado on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

Isla del Pescado is one of many ‘islands’ on the high Andean salt flat called Salar de Uyuni. This unusual landscape in Bolivia draws in many curious visitors who explore the plain’s 4,086 square miles. Isla del Pescado translates from Spanish to English as the Island of Fish, a reference to the isle’s appearance on the horizon when viewed from a distance. If the thick crust of salt on the Salar seems familiar, it may be because you’ve seen it recently on the big screen: Salar de Uyuni appeared as the planet Crait in the climax of the recent ‘Star Wars’ installment, ‘The Last Jedi.’Desktop Version

May 4, 2020It s Star Wars Day

Does this place look familiar? If you"re a "Star Wars" fan you might recognize it as the planet of Crait, featured in "The Last Jedi." In reality it"s Salar de Uyuni, the world"s largest salt flat, found in southwest Bolivia. This otherworldly landscape is near the crest of the Andes, about 12,000 feet above sea level. The salt flat was formed when prehistoric lakes dried up over centuries, leaving behind a salt crust several feet deep. After a rare rainfall, a thin layer of perfectly still water will transform the salt flat into a giant mirror 80 miles across.Desktop Version

Feb 14, 2021An oceanic valentine

Just off the coast of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia, the surf crashes over this cluster of rocks, sending an oceanic Valentine"s Day card to a lucky bird—or photographer—flying overhead. We"ll take nature"s love letters wherever and whenever we can find them. But what makes February 14 the day we celebrate love? Some claim Valentine"s Day has its roots in an ancient Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia that included goat sacrifices and a lottery that paired off eligible men and women. Others argue that the holiday began with early Christians celebrating a martyr named Valentine. Chaucer romanticized the day with a poem about two birds mating for life. No matter its pagan or Christian origins, in the modern world, Valentine"s Day is celebrated most everywhere as a day devoted to love.Desktop Version

Feb 4, 2018Male kori bustard, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

If you were to assemble a football team on the southern African savannah, chances are you’d want the kori bustard on your team. This husky bird is one of the heaviest animals capable of flight and is the largest flying bird native to Africa. Males can weigh up to 40 pounds. Given the heavy load, the kori bustard prefers to travel by foot, and is known to be slow and careful as it forages for food. This bird is so large, in fact, that smaller birds are known to perch on its back and catch a free ride.Desktop Version

Mar 13, 2021All hail the king of shrubs

Often called the "king of shrubs," rhododendrons are prized by gardeners for their glossy green leaves and brightly colored flowers. Depending on the variety, the blooms can emerge anytime from late winter into summer. Either evergreen or deciduous, rhododendrons make up a large and diverse genus of woody plants in the heath family, with over 1,000 wild species and scores of cultivated options. Rhododendrons are native to temperate areas of Asia, North America, and Europe, as well as some tropical parts of Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Our image today captures "rhodies" in full bloom in March along a path at Semper Forest Park of Rügen, Germany.Desktop Version

Jun 5, 2020By the light of the fireflies

Every year between late May and mid-June, synchronous fireflies gather into a sparkling, rhythmic light show in the forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As part of their two-week mating display, the female lightning bugs synchronize their flashes with nearby males so that every few seconds waves of light ripple through the woods. Of at least 19 species of fireflies that live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Photinus carolinus is the only species with synchronous light displays, but they can also be found in Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania and Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Other species of synchronous fireflies are particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia.Desktop Version

Jan 5, 2020Digging the birds

Burrowing parrots, sometimes called burrowing parakeets, are native to the arid Monte Desert of western Argentina. The birds use their beaks and talons to hollow out nesting spaces in soft limestone cliffs found in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The parrots sometimes end up captured and sold as pets for the wild bird trade. While that"s not illegal—burrowing parrots aren"t endangered—the capture and sale of these birds and others is part of the focus of National Bird Day in the United States, which is observed on January 5. National Bird Day was created to educate the public about the value of wild birds remaining wild. While keeping a parrot as a pet may seem like fun, the organizers of National Bird Day claim the parrot is going to be healthier and happier in its natural habitat.Desktop Version

Feb 4, 2020Rock of ages

We"re here at Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, in Sri Lanka, for the South Asian nation"s Independence Day, celebrated annually on February 4. Sigiriya towers 600 feet off the ground, jutting dramatically out of the heart of this island country and serving as a formidable monument to the past. The king of Sri Lanka himself, King Kashyapa, who ruled from 473 to 495 CE, once made this the site of his new capital. He ordered that his palace be constructed atop the rock and about halfway up, he had a large gateway carved into the side of the outcropping in the shape of a lion (hence the name). His fortress was abandoned when he died, and the site later served as a monastery. These days it"s a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage site.Desktop Version

Feb 13, 2018Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana

To celebrate Mardi Gras today, we venture into Preservation Hall, the legendary performance space in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. The former art gallery at 726 St. Peter Street isn’t the oldest music venue in New Orleans, but it’s one of the most important. Since it opened in 1961, Preservation Hall has become a premier showcase for traditional New Orleans jazz and a performing space for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which plays here most nights when it"s not on the road.Desktop Version

Jan 11, 2022Porcupine

Psycho quiller? Nope, this is no homicidal rodent. Act friendly and keep a tail"s length of distance, and you should be safe from a spiny fate. (That thing about porcupines launching their quills at you like darts? Yeah, total myth.)Desktop Version

Jan 17, 2019A wassailing we go

Somewhere under that dense fog, the people of Somerset county in southwest England may be marching from house to house, singing songs and dancing, and asking for a drink or snack in return. If that sounds like Christmas caroling, you’re right. But it’s the English tradition of wassailing—a practice that usually takes place on Twelfth Night, which marks the coming of the Epiphany and takes place on January 5th or 6th. So why do the people living in this farmland moor wassail on January 17? Because in Somerset, the locals observe the pre-Gregorian calendar Twelfth Night, which falls on January 17. They may even stage an ‘apple wassail’ with a trip to a local cider orchard, to sing and make noise for a good harvest in the new year.Desktop Version

Jun 29, 2020Goats don t grow on trees

You"re not seeing things—these goats in Essaouira, Morocco, have climbed high up into an argan tree. And it"s not a one-time event. The goats enjoy the small yellow fruit these trees produce, and when the low-hanging fruit is gone they"re willing and able to make the climb. Goats aren"t the only ones benefitting from these trees. The nuts from argan trees are used to produce argan oil, which is edible and also used for some rather pricey cosmetics, making it a valuable export.Desktop Version

Jun 25, 2020Hoisting a flag for seafarers

Here above the chilly seas off Iceland, we"re peering down at a tall ship called the Gorch Fock—a training vessel of the German navy. Built in 1958, it replaced the original 1933 Gorch Fock, which was seized by the Soviets in the wake of World War II (but is now back home in Stralsund, Germany, as a museum ship). Because traditionally rigged tall ships are valued as tools for learning general sailing skills, the "58 Gorch Fock is still in official service—but for much of the 21st century, it"s been in and out of dry dock for repairs and safety improvements.Desktop Version

Feb 9, 2019A tale of almonds and bees

Every February in California, the almond trees bloom, sparking a massive migration of commercial beekeepers to the Golden State. With box hives stacked high onto semi-truck trailers, they transport their honeybee colonies to almond orchards in the Sacramento and San Joaquin areas of California’s Central Valley, renting the little workers out to farmers. In recent decades, this practice has grown to become the largest managed pollination effort in the world, sometimes called the ‘Super Bowl of beekeeping.’Desktop Version

Dec 5, 2023Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany

The Bavarian Alps, a mountain range in southern Germany, are home to these enchanting 19th-century castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein Castle, on the left of our homepage image, was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Building work began in 1869 on this Romanesque Revival palace with its fairy-tale-like architecture and breathtaking mountain backdrop. Across the valley, gazing out over Lake Alpsee, is the equally spectacular Hohenschwangau Castle, built by Ludwig II"s father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. These two castles boast rich interiors with intricate artwork and historical artifacts. Both castles attract millions of visitors every year, offering a glimpse into the opulent past of Bavaria.Desktop Version

Apr 3, 2018The village of Castelluccio above the Piano Grande, Umbria, Italy

Welcome to wildflower season on the magnificent Piano Grande (Great Plain) in Central Italy. For some geographic perspective, we’re in the calf region of Italy’s boot, nestled in the Apennine Mountains. Perched on the hillside is the little village of Castelluccio, where you can purchase the crop that made this region famous: lentils. The tiny, thin-skinned lentils cultivated here are considered delicacies.Desktop Version

Jun 24, 2020Midsummer in Sweden

This mirrorlike lake—pictured not at dawn nor dusk, but under the tireless midnight sun that marks Scandinavian summers—lies just outside Örebro, a midsized city in south-central Sweden. To Swedes, late June is synonymous with Midsummer, a solstice festival with roots in ancient, pagan Europe that was later combined with the June 24 Christian feast of John the Baptist.Desktop Version

Oct 4, 2021Hey neighbor, it s World Space Week!

Space is a big, lonely place, so it"s nice to know we have neighbors. The pictured Andromeda galaxy is our Milky Way"s closest neighbor—right next door at 2.5 million light-years away. Our cordial relationship with Andromeda goes back about 10 billion years to when both galaxies were still forming. But trouble is brewing: Andromeda is on a collision course with the Milky Way, due for impact in 4 billion years. This neighborhood"s about to get rough…Desktop Version

Dec 30, 2021Westerheversand Lighthouse

Even in the places most altered by humans, nature seems to slip through, like the Milky Way shown here peeking between light beams from Germany"s Westerheversand Lighthouse. This beacon lies along the Wadden Sea, which forms the world"s largest tidal flat along the Dutch, German, and Danish coasts.Desktop Version

Jun 27, 2020Looking for peace on the precipice

The Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona sits on an outcropping almost 2,500 feet high overlooking the Adige River Valley in northern Italy, near the city of Verona. Since the Middle Ages, this spot has been a destination for religious pilgrimages. The faithful are drawn no doubt by the views and, perhaps, the dangerous path to get there—enlightenment shouldn"t come easy.Desktop Version

Feb 15, 2018The Feathers at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage, Washington

This time-lapse photo shows a hiker’s light marking the trail up to The Feathers, a rock formation near the small town of Vantage, Washington. The Feathers rock formation is popular with rock climbers, with routes featuring equally colorful names such as ‘Updrafts to Heaven’ and ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends.’ Nearby is Gingko Petrified Forest State Park, where trees that are millions of years old have gradually turned to stone.Desktop Version

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