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In praise of the pipes
In praise of the pipes
International Bagpipe Day invites musicians to get out and play their pipes—anywhere, and for anyone. We’re guessing that the distinctive roof of the Sydney Opera House is off-limits to most, but these pipers are members of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, an infantry battalion in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and surely that comes with privileges. It’s commonly believed that bagpipes originated in Scotland, but evidence suggests that the instrument may have first been played in the Middle East some 3,000 years ago. That’s right, the piping tradition predates tartans and kilts.Desktop Version
Spring blooms in the Netherlands
Spring blooms in the Netherlands
With tulip fields in bloom across the Netherlands, like this one in the Duin- en Bollenstreek (Dune and Bulb) region, we"re flinging ourselves into spring for the month-long Amsterdam Tulip Festival. Since the days of ‘tulip mania’ in the 1600s, the Dutch have remained wild about the colorful perennial, which was first cultivated in Persia in the 10th century. Visitors to the Amsterdam Tulip Festival this month can see the blooms at more than 85 locations throughout the region. The biggest and most famous displays will be at Keukenhof outside Amsterdam, which this year is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its public tulip beds. This "Garden of Europe" is one of the world"s largest flower gardens with 800 varieties of tulips and more than 7 million flowering spring bulbs each year. But don"t tarry, while the flower power is strong here, tulip season doesn"t last long.Desktop Version
High above the reef
High above the reef
If we could dip down below those happy little clouds, we’d be on the bright blue waters of the Caribbean. And if we could dip down farther, below the surf, we’d be greeted by the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest coral reef on Earth (after the Great Barrier Reef). This barrier reef system stretches for nearly 700 miles, from the northern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. It’s home to one of the world’s largest manatee populations, and also to a fair number of the world’s largest fish: the whale shark.Desktop Version
A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
British astronomer William Herschel first observed Uranus on this date in 1781, though the planet didn’t get its name for nearly another 70 years. Uranus was named after the Greek god of the sky—but has become the "butt" of many middle-school jokes. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.) The planet, along with Neptune, is considered an ‘ice giant,’ with most of its mass made up of a hot, dense fluid of ‘icy’ materials including water, methane, and ammonia all hovering above its small, rocky core. It’s the methane that makes the planet appear blue—the chemical compound absorbs red light from the sun and reflects the blue light back into space. Not only is it cold out there, but it’s also a little lonely. Uranus can’t support life as we know it, and the unmanned space probe Voyager 2, which took this photo, is so far the only spacecraft to fly by.Desktop Version
Fire-damaged forest near Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado
Fire-damaged forest near Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado
Wolf Creek Pass is a high-mountain route that’s notoriously difficult to navigate in winter, with steep drops in elevation as the road descends from the peak. While these trees were damaged by wildfire—always a threat here in the Rockies—trees in the surrounding forest have been ravaged by a different menace—the spruce beetle. The tiny but deadly beetles have infested up to 90 percent of the Englemann spruce trees in Colorado’s high elevations, including around Wolf Creek Pass, laying waste to large swaths of the forest.Desktop Version
Step into the dark
Step into the dark
We"re on the Isle of Skye, a fitting locale to celebrate the beginning of International Dark Sky Week, and not just because of its name. The Isle of Skye is one of several parts of Scotland that are set aside as Dark Sky parks, where the lack of artificial light makes stargazing a spectacular event, with or without a telescope.Desktop Version
March of the flowers
March of the flowers
Our photo today captures the blaze of color from California brittlebush, poppies, and a variety of other flowers that signal the arrival of spring to Lost Dutchman State Park, just east of Phoenix, Arizona. March is usually when wildflowers in the Arizona deserts begin to bloom, and Lost Dutchman is a great place to get a dose of the colorful display. If you’re wondering what the name of the park is all about, take our homepage quiz to find out who the Lost Dutchman was…Desktop Version
Sunbeams across Tartu County, Estonia
Sunbeams across Tartu County, Estonia
Tucked between Lake Võrtsjärv and Lake Peipsi, Tartu County, sometimes called Tartumaa, is mostly forests and wetlands with some farmland. But away from the woods and wetlands, the city of Tartu is a bustling university town with a reputation as an intellectual haven.Desktop Version
Next stop, Tofino
Next stop, Tofino
Gray whales migrate between their feeding grounds and breeding grounds each year. North Pacific gray whales wisely spend the winter at their breeding grounds in the warm waters off the Baja California Peninsula. Then, by mid-March, as the whales return north, they pass by the west coast of Vancouver Island, near Tofino, en route to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. Tofino, an outdoorsy retreat on Clayoquot Sound, provides a breathtaking backdrop for whale watchers this time of year. After the whales have passed through, the area continues to attract outdoor enthusiasts who are drawn to legendary surfing, hiking, and storm watching along the dramatic coastline.Desktop Version
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, China
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, China
The nearly 12,000-acre park was established in 1982 and is part of the larger Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area. A visit to Zhangjiajie can seem like a visit to a mythical world. The local fauna only add to the park’s mystique, for among the stealthy inhabitants of this unusual ecosystem is the clouded leopard, a rare wild cat that is considered an evolutionary link between smaller cats, such as the lynx, and the big cats like lions and tigers.Desktop Version
Train crossing the Tadami River in Japan
Train crossing the Tadami River in Japan
The Tadami flows through three prefectures on Japan’s Honshu Island. This train is crossing the river near the small town of Mishima, in Fukushima Prefecture. Despite the icy, snow-covered scene in our photo, the Fukushima region is famous for the fruit it produces in warmer seasons, especially peaches.Desktop Version
The smoke before the bonfire
The smoke before the bonfire
Today marks the fifth, final, fantastic day of this noisy, fire-and-smoke-filled holiday in Valencia, Spain. It"s called Las Fallas (or ‘Las Falles’ in the Valencian spelling), which means ‘torches’ in colloquial translation. While the origins of the festival aren’t entirely clear, the current customs borrow elements of pre-Christian spring festivals, Carnival, and the feast of St. Joseph—which is Father’s Day in this region. Each day of the festival follows a schedule of marching bands in the mornings and fireworks in the afternoon, which is what’s happening in our photo. There are dancers in traditional costumes as well, but the real spectacle comes tonight, as the parade of large, often bawdy wood and papier-mâché figures called ninots are marched through the streets and then added to a huge bonfire to welcome spring.Desktop Version
Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
Perhaps you can understand why this tiny sea slug is sometimes called the ‘sea sheep’ or ‘leaf sheep’? It grazes on algae just as a sheep grazes on grass, and it bears more than a little resemblance to an actual sheep. Sea sheep don’t digest the chloroplasts in the algae they eat—instead, they absorb the energy-producing cells. As a result, the leaf-like fins all over the sea sheep’s back are loaded with working chloroplasts, making the sea sheep one of the only non-plant life forms on Earth with the ability to photosynthesize—that is, produce its own energy using sunlight and water. Who knew an evolutionary advancement could be so cute?Desktop Version
The power of the forest
The power of the forest
For International Day of Forests today, we’re looking at a baobab grove in Senegal. The indigenous cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, where baobabs grow wild, have long relied on the trees for a variety of uses. The fruit, seeds, and leaves are all edible, and in Tanzania, the wood pulp is a fermentation ingredient in local beers. Forests of all kinds provide many natural resources that humans use, and sometimes overuse. This year’s theme for International Day of Forests is ‘forests and education’; it’s an effort to get us all thinking about the more abstract benefits of healthy forests. A dense forest can clean both the air and water by pulling carbon compounds and other pollutants out of the ecosystem, and forests greatly reduce erosion.Desktop Version
Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
Winter hits Kuhmo hard, but it sure is beautiful. The town, which lies in an area that borders Russia, was under Swedish and Russian rule in centuries past, but is now proudly Finnish. The boreal forests in this region are home to wolves and bears as well as the rare, and rarely seen, Finnish forest reindeer, who forage among the trees.Desktop Version
Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
Among the 350 species of birds found here at the Samburu National Reserve, some of the most industrious are weaverbirds. This family of birds is so named for the intricately constructed nests that many of the species weave from twigs, grasses, and leaves. You can see the birds’ handiwork on this acacia tree, where nests hang like ornaments. Some weaverbirds build elaborate nests that house hundreds of birds, with separate chambers for each pair, creating natural apartment complexes in the treetops.Desktop Version
Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
A sliver of the Al-Khazneh temple’s façade is just visible at the end of this path. Like nearly every structure in the ancient city of Petra, the temple was carved directly into the sandstone cliffs that line the valley. Al-Khazneh boasts one of the most ornate, detailed façades of all the buildings here. Within the temple are relics of the past, including an elevated stone urn that was once thought to be the spot where bandits hid their loot. That’s been disproved, as the urn is solid stone. But that legend prompted the nickname of this space: the Treasury.Desktop Version
When science looks like magic
When science looks like magic
The mechanics of the northern lights are still not fully understood, as there are multiple influences and atmospheric conditions that create these photogenic ripples of colored light in the sky. Scientists agree that solar winds—big pulses of energy from our sun—interfere with the Earth’s magnetic fields, especially at the polar regions. The result is a ghostly light show in the sky—like the one in our photo today, captured in Norway.Desktop Version
What happened to these clouds?
What happened to these clouds?
Today is World Meteorology Day, so we’re high up in the atmosphere, above the clouds, for a satellite view of fallstreak holes. These gaps in the clouds are sometimes called hole-punch clouds. The holes form when supercooled water droplets suddenly freeze—often when a plane flies through the cloud—and then fall, leaving an opening in the formation. Scientists are still gaining new insights on how fallstreak holes form and behave.Desktop Version
Commemorating peace in Antarctica
Commemorating peace in Antarctica
We feel chilly just looking at this image of the Europa sailing the Penola Strait, near the Antarctic Peninsula. This three-masted barque may resemble polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated ship Endurance, which was lost to the ice in an expedition to the South Pole in 1915. But the Europa is a modern, refitted lightship that now sails the world with paying passengers and makes annual trips to Antarctica.Desktop Version
Fresh water on the Silk Road
Fresh water on the Silk Road
No, these aren’t the ruins of an ancient amusement park in Western China. These two water wheels on the Tashkurgan River are part of the irrigation system that helps keep the 13,000 or so residents of Tashkurgan supplied with fresh water even though the region receives less than 3 inches of precipitation each year. That reliable access to fresh water is one of the reasons this area has been inhabited for thousands of years and made it an important stop on the ancient Silk Road trade route. Highlighting the importance of fresh water is the goal of World Water Day, which falls on March 22 every year. This year’s theme is "Leaving no one behind." With over 2.1 billion people living without safe water at home, it’s one of the most ambitious of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.Desktop Version
You re feeling sleepy
You re feeling sleepy
If springing forward for daylight saving time has you feeling drowsy, grumpy, or unproductive, then National Napping Day was literally made for you. Created in 1999 by Boston University professor William Anthony, this annual event is observed on the day most Americans are "nap-ready." So, take a cue from this African leopard and find a comfy place to catnap.Desktop Version
The glowing waters of the Matsu Islands
The glowing waters of the Matsu Islands
From April through September, a type of algae commonly called ‘sea sparkle’ blooms along the coast of all 36 islands in the Matsu archipelago off the coast of Taiwan. An enzyme reaction in the algae’s single-cellular bodies creates the light-emitting chemical reaction. Locals call the natural light show ‘blue tears.’ Stranger still is that when the water is disturbed, the algae light up even brighter. If you want to see the blue tears of the Matsu Islands, there’s still time to book a trip—the bioluminescent effect is more common and more intense during the hot summer months.Desktop Version
Red squirrel in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
Red squirrel in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
This wee red squirrel looks warm and cozy in its winter coat here in the Scottish Highlands. The red squirrel is the only squirrel species native to the United Kingdom, but its numbers are in decline. It’s estimated there are only 160,000 left in the UK, and 75 percent of the population makes its home here in Scotland, where conservation groups are coming to its aid. The main threat to this group comes from nonnative gray squirrels, which were introduced here in the 19th century and outcompete the reds for food and living space. Perhaps the two species will make amends for Squirrel Appreciation Day, celebrated on January 21.Desktop Version
Gardens by the Bay nature park, Singapore
Gardens by the Bay nature park, Singapore
This futuristic nature park is part of Singapore’s vision to transform itself from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden.’ Constructed in 2012, the 250-acre destination is known for sustainable development, as well as stunning garden exhibits. The Cloud Forest exhibit shown here features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, cascading down a 115-foot Cloud Mountain that’s covered in plant life. In the park’s Supertrees Grove, you’ll find vertical gardens that use solar energy to light up at night.Desktop Version