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May 12, 2023Wild lupines

These stunning wild lupines bring shades of blue, pink, and purple to meadows and roadsides from early spring. They are not just a stunning addition to the landscape—they are crucial for the survival of the rare Karner blue butterfly. The larvae of the short-lived species will only feed on wild blue lupines, crawling up their stems to eat new leaves when they hatch. Once widespread across much of eastern North America, wild lupines have been in decline since the Industrial Revolution and human development has reduced their range. This has had a knock-on effect on the butterflies, which are now an endangered species. Conservation efforts have focused on replanting areas of wild blue lupines to boost butterfly numbers.Desktop Version

Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!

"Don"t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story." Today, on Tolkien Day, fans around the world honor the master storyteller who crafted the epic adventures of Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien. While Tolkien may have started the tale, it"s his readers who carry it forward, generation after generation, diving into the pages of "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings," and beyond. Tolkienists are encouraged to celebrate the author"s birthday with a toast at 9 PM local time—to participate, all you must do is stand and raise a glass of your choice, say "The Professor," and take a sip.Desktop Version

Apr 10, 2024Siblings Day

Oh brother! April 10 is National Siblings Day, a time to celebrate the special bonds shared by brothers and sisters. From friendly rivalries to shared memories, there"s nothing quite like the relationship between siblings. Siblings Day was created by Claudia Evart in memory of her siblings Alan and Lisette. Today, it is recognized by 49 states and 14 countries. Celebrations of this day can range from something simple, like phoning your siblings to let them know you"re thinking of them, to giving gifts or sharing a meal.Desktop Version

Mar 21, 2023International 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

Aug 15, 2024Hang Sơn Đoòng Cave, Vietnam

In 1991, logger Hồ Khanh stumbled upon something big in what is now Vietnam"s Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park. During a jungle expedition, he found the entrance to a cave with a roaring underground river. It was later named Hang Sơn Đoòng, or "cave of the mountain river" and in 2009, the British Cave Research Association led an expedition to explore it. They realized something incredible: It was the world"s largest cave. Hang Sơn Đoòng"s main passage is 3.1 miles long, 490 feet wide, and 660 feet high. That"s tall enough to fit a 40-story skyscraper.Desktop Version

Apr 9, 2024Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Walk through a real-life canvas where vibrant blossoms paint the Earth in the shadow of Mount Vernon. That"s exactly what awaits you at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington. Founded in 1984 by the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, it began as a three-day event but has since grown into a month-long fiesta. The festival runs from April to May and draws visitors from all over the world. The floral show spans multiple gardens in the valley, so make sure you explore Tulip Town, Tulip Valley Farms, Garden Rosalyn, and the 50-acre display at RoozenGaarde. You can tour the tulip gardens by bicycle and explore the local wineries, breweries, and restaurants. Among the petals, life slows down just enough for us to remember the simple joys—breathe deeply, smile widely, and revel in the spectacle that is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.Desktop Version

Jan 11, 2024Eurasian lynx

Ready for a next-level staring contest? Don’t worry, you"re unlikely to come face to face with a Eurasian lynx like this one, padding through the snow on our homepage. This elusive predator prowls around the forests of northern Europe and Siberia and the hills and mountains of Central Asia, often unnoticed by humans. Their low calls can be heard by other lynx, and they are primarily active at night, dawn, and dusk, although they can hunt by day if needed. These solitary hunters have keen senses and remarkable agility, able to climb trees and jump more than 6 feet straight up to catch prey. In temperate forests, they mainly dine out on rabbits, hares, marmots, and other small mammals, although they can take on prey as large as deer.Desktop Version

Oct 22, 2019Bobbing for crab apples

If it"s autumn, it"s apple season—the time for apple pie, apple cider (and, of course, apple cider doughnuts), apple cake, caramel apples, or just biting into a fresh, crisp apple, especially one you picked yourself. There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world—about 2,500 in the US. This blackbird is enjoying a crab apple, which most people find a little sour to eat right off the tree. They do, however, work well for jelly, apple butter, or even pie filling. The term "crab apple" doesn’t refer to a specific species but is used for several types of small apples. In Celtic culture, crab apples are associated with love and marriage. Supposedly if you throw the seeds into a fire while saying the name of your love, the seeds explode if your love is true. We"d try it but we"re busy baking a pie.Desktop Version

Nov 9, 2019We heart Berlin

We"re gazing at the Brandenburg Gate—a symbol of peace and unity—through a heart-shaped replica of a remnant of the Berlin Wall, probably the most potent symbol of the political division that once scarred the German capital. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the concrete barrier that once obstructed this view.Desktop Version

Feb 13, 2022American bison

Although American bison live and defend themselves as a herd, these two don"t appear to see eye to eye. With their massive heads, they"re natural stand-ins for the helmeted human titans facing off in the stadium today for Super Bowl Sunday.Desktop Version

Sep 22, 2019Barcelona bids farewell to summer

Every year, for four days in September, locals and tourists flock to one of Barcelona’s biggest events, La Mercè Festival. It got its beginnings in 1687 when Barcelona was suffering from a plague of locusts. In desperation, city officials voted to ask for the assistance of La Mare de Déu de la Mercè (the Virgin of Mercy). Eventually, having been delivered from the pestilence, the officials named the Virgin of Mercy the patroness of Barcelona, and an annual festival has been celebrated in her honor in the city ever since.Desktop Version

May 8, 2022Mother s Day

Among mothers, few can claim as deep a bond with her baby as a koala mom. Because her pregnancy lasts only a month—likely making her the envy of other mammal mothers—her baby emerges into her embrace still in the embryonic stage, about the size of a jellybean. Mom will spend the next year carrying her baby, called a joey, either inside her pouch or on her back, a feat that makes her annual Mother"s Day card well-earned.Desktop Version

Apr 8, 2022Ponta Delgada

Today we"re taking a trip to the verdant cliffs at the edge of Madeira, the principal island of the Portuguese archipelago that"s also called Madeira, roughly 320 miles west of Morocco in the North Atlantic. These terraced hillsides are just outside the village of Ponta Delgada, on the north coast of the island. Originally uninhabited, Madeira and the other islands in this chain were settled by the Portuguese in the early 1400s and became a main stopover for European explorers during the so-called Age of Discovery.Desktop Version

May 17, 2023Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California

California brown pelicans, cormorants, and gulls enjoy jostling for position on top of this stunning rock formation in Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. It is the sole surviving natural "bridge" in this state park. Once three bridges stood side-by-side here, carved by waves into cliffs that jutted out into the Pacific. This one stood in the middle, but the outermost bridge collapsed in 1905 and the innermost one disappeared in 1980.Desktop Version

Jan 5, 2025National Bird Day

Look up at the skies and experience the magic of birds—it"s National Bird Day. Birds come in many shapes and colors, but few are as striking as the plum-headed parakeet, seen in today"s image. Native to the Indian subcontinent, these birds are known for their swift, acrobatic flight and distinctive calls that echo through the air. There have been reports of plum-headed parakeets making their way to places like New York, Florida, and even parts of the Middle East.Desktop Version

Oct 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park

Taughannock Falls State Park, in New York"s scenic Finger Lakes area, is home to this magnificent waterfall of the same name, which plunges 215 feet over the cliffs into the gorge below. The park also boasts stunning pathways, unique rock formations, and numerous wild animals. It"s not certain where the name Taughannock came from, though a leading theory says it is a combination of Iroquois and Algonquin terms, roughly translating to "great fall in the woods." The park, which was founded in 1924, guarantees visitors memorable adventures, whether you hike the rim paths for panoramic views of the falls and rock formations, take a plunge in Cayuga Lake, or bring a pair of binoculars for birding. A keen eye can spot winged locals such as turkey vultures, common loons, and great horned owls.Desktop Version

Nov 11, 2019On a Healing Field for Veterans Day

We"re featuring a moment captured back in 2013 of Vietnam War veteran Jake Thorn sitting in a Healing Field display of 2,013 flags in Aurora, Illinois. According to the Reuters photographer who took this picture, Thorn was telling two visitors about his time in the military. Visiting a Healing Field is just one of the ways communities across the country come together for Veterans Day to honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces.Desktop Version

Sep 2, 2023National Hummingbird Day

It"s National Hummingbird Day, a day to celebrate these tiny wonders. Their colorful plumage and ability to hover mid-air make them particularly eye-catching. The rapid flapping of their wings—an average of 53 times a second—creates their trademark humming sound and works up quite an appetite: These little birdies can feed every 10–15 minutes! Today"s homepage star is an Allen"s hummingbird, which grows to about 3.5 inches in length and is found along the west coast of North America, most commonly in California. National Hummingbird Day aims to boost the preservation of these mini marvels, by protecting them and their habitat.Desktop Version

Sep 11, 2019A tower of remembrance

Pictured here is the Tower of Voices, a 93-foot-tall monument to the passengers and crew on Flight 93. Hijackers seized the plane shortly after it left Newark, New Jersey, on September 11, 2001. As travelers onboard learned of the coordinated attacks in New York and Washington, DC, a group of passengers and flight crew attempted to wrest control of the plane. The aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board. It was the only one of the four hijacked planes that didn’t hit its intended target.Desktop Version

Mar 18, 2022Holi festival

The ancient Hindu festival of Holi will find revelers caked in these colorful powders by the day"s end. Also referred to as the Festival of Spring, the Festival of Love, and the Festival of Colors, Holi is celebrated during the full moon in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar. This year it"s March 18. Holi symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and celebrates the beginning of spring, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love in all forms. It"s a time for affirming friendships, burying old grievances, and letting romance bloom.Desktop Version

Jan 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea

Just a few miles north of South Korea"s capital city of Seoul, Bukhansan National Park is a retreat for city dwellers and international visitors. Forests and ancient temples sit side-by-side in the park, beneath the three granite peaks of Bukhan Mountain, or Bukhansan. Among the park"s ridges and valleys, water deer, wild boar, chipmunks, and squirrels roam freely. A careful ear might pick out the rat-a-tat of woodpeckers or the chirpy melody of songbirds perched in the trees. The park also boasts Bukhansanseong Fortress, whose current structure was completed in 1711.Desktop Version

Sep 21, 2021An old celebration for a new season

This photo takes us to Hong Kong"s Victoria Park, where a group of engineers constructed a giant lantern sculpture called "Rising Moon." It"s made of more than 7,000 recycled plastic water bottles with LED lights inside, to honor one of China"s most important holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival. While it"s only been an "official" public holiday in China since 2008, mention of the Mid-Autumn Festival first appeared in written historical texts as far back as 3,000 years ago. Families celebrate the holiday by lighting paper lanterns and sharing a meal, traditionally at a round table. This reunion is said to bring good luck and happiness.Desktop Version

Mar 15, 2023Agüero, 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

Feb 21, 2023New Orleans for Mardi Gras

Welcome to Mardi Gras, the festivity celebrated before the start of Lent in Roman Catholic countries around the world and in many parts of the US. Mardi Gras is especially big here in New Orleans, where celebrations date back to sometime in the mid-18th century.Desktop Version

Aug 2, 2022Happy birthday, Capitol Reef National Park

You won"t find a lot of solitude on the Hickman Bridge Trail, a 1.7-mile route in Capitol Reef National Park that leads to this magnificent natural arch. The trail is used by hikers, runners, and nature lovers drawn by incredible rock formations, gullies, and remnants from the ancient Fremont Culture civilization. Hickman Bridge itself is one of the best-known geologic features of the park.Desktop Version

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