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A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
This little bird with its 20-inch wingspan weighs about as much as a stick of butter, but it has the stamina of an Olympian. Each fall, red knots are known to fly more than 9,000 miles from the Arctic to South America–and in the spring, they do the journey in reverse, for a roundtrip of more than 20,000 miles. The most famous red knot, known as ‘Moonbird,’ is so named because the total of its known migrations have exceeded the distance to the moon. Moonbird was first banded in Rio Grande, Argentina, in 1995 and has been sighted many times in the years after–amazing scientists and birders alike.Desktop Version
This view is brought to you by…
This view is brought to you by…
Hocking Hills State Park, for National Public Lands Day. Hocking Hills is a 2,356-acre park in southern Ohio offering over 25 miles of hiking trails that pass by unusual rock formations, recess caves, and stunning waterfalls. This is Upper Falls, at one of the park"s most popular hiking destinations, Old Man"s Cave. This huge recess cave, as the legend goes, was named for a hermit who lived here in the 1800s. Then there"s Devil"s Bathtub, Conkle"s Hollow, and Rock House—sites worthy of a visit for their names alone, though the scenery won"t disappoint.Desktop Version
Kjell Henriksen Observatory
Kjell Henriksen Observatory
While these domes look like they should be in a movie set depicting a galaxy far, far away, they"re actually part of a scientific research station here on planet Earth. Kjell Henriksen Observatory is named for a Norwegian scientist whose research focused on the polar lights. The aurora borealis is frequently seen here, deep within the Arctic Circle in Norway"s remote Svalbard territory. And the observatory is specially designed to observe the aurora. Since it opened in 2008, the observatory has become a destination for atmospheric scientists, who can rent one of these 30 glass-topped rooms built to house high-end optical instruments.Desktop Version
Happy Bee Day to you
Happy Bee Day to you
If flowers are the starring cast of nature"s big spring show, then bees are the crew. Honey bees are always buzzing in the background, pollinating not only our photogenic petaled friends, but also food crops that make up a third of humans" diet. But when seen in front of the camera, they"re hardly bee-listers: Today"s pollen-coated photo subject was certainly ready for her close-up.Desktop Version
Winter in England s Cotswolds
Winter in England s Cotswolds
The Cotswolds region is well known by Brits as a sleepy summer getaway, a day-trip destination for rambling through rolling pastures and charming villages while sampling delicious local produce. But in winter, this rural landscape takes on a new character when snows blanket the countryside.Desktop Version
Welcome to Scotland s garden
Welcome to Scotland s garden
Today, we"re in the "Garden of Scotland," better known as the East Lothian region, to pay homage to the area"s agricultural roots on Lammas Day. Also known as Loaf Mass Day, it"s an observance that marks the beginning of the harvest season and is traditionally celebrated on August 1. The holiday is descended from the ancient British tradition known during the Middle Ages as the Gule of August and was gradually incorporated into the Christian liturgy celebrating Holy Communion. It gets its name from loaves of bread baked from the first harvested grain of the season each year.Desktop Version
Grab onto the handlebars, kid
Grab onto the handlebars, kid
How does a bearded tamarin celebrate Father"s Day? Maybe by giving piggyback rides to pint-sized monkeys. From day one, both male and female bearded emperor tamarin babies (like the one hitching a ride in this photo), start growing their trademark handlebar mustaches and wispy beards. These diminutive residents of the Amazon basin are highly social animals. Females often give birth to twins and stay pretty busy during the day nursing them. After the babies are fed, the males watch over the youngsters by carrying them around on their backs. By the time the young tamarins reach two months old their pops become the primary caregivers, providing food and showing the ropes of the rainforest to their young charges—where to find fruit and nectar in the dry season, how to leap from branch to branch, and the best ways to groom those outrageous mustaches and beards.Desktop Version
International Polar Bear Day
International Polar Bear Day
Today we celebrate International Polar Bear Day to spotlight efforts that protect these charismatic but vulnerable animals. Perhaps no other creature is as emblematic of climate change as polar bears, the apex predator of the Arctic. As the planet warms, their fragile habitat shrinks.Desktop Version
We did not invent this, honest
We did not invent this, honest
Wombats, like kangaroos and koalas, are native only to mainland Australia and some of its surrounding islands, including Maria Island National Park, where this photo was taken. We bring you a wombat in celebration of Wombat Day. Why Wombat Day? Why not? Wombat fan groups—which are a thing—loosely tie the October celebration to spring planting festivals from Australia’s past. (Yes, it’s spring in the Southern Hemisphere.) But many admit that it’s also just a good excuse to share photos of wombats and eat cake, preferably chocolate.Desktop Version
From garden to table?
From garden to table?
Depending on where you live, you may know these snails as Burgundy, Roman, or edible snails. Yes, that last name acknowledges that these garden dwellers are often prepared as a food item, usually called ‘escargot’—the French word for ‘snail.’ In late spring and early summer, the adult snails will lay eggs and cover them up, leaving the young to hatch and survive on their own. Given that the adult snail in our photo is 1.5 inches tall, it puts the juvenile snail’s size into perspective.Desktop Version
A toast to California!
A toast to California!
Today we"re celebrating the 169th anniversary of the Golden State"s admission into the Union with an appropriately golden image of a Central Coast winery and landscape. In 1850, just 14 months after the peace treaty ending the Mexican-American War ceded most of California along with a large portion of western territory to the US, the former self-proclaimed California Republic became the 31st state. California is one of only six states admitted to the Union without first being recognized as a US territory. Some link this to the California Gold Rush, which began in January 1848 and rapidly increased the California population by more than 1,000 percent.Desktop Version
Celebrating Flag Day
Celebrating Flag Day
June 14 is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777. Our nation"s first official flag had 13 stars and 13 red and white stripes to represent the original 13 colonies that broke from British rule. The stars were arranged on a blue background to represent a "new constellation." In 1795, two more stars and two stripes were added to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. Then in 1818, Congress passed a plan to go back to 13 stripes and add only stars for new states. The current version of the flag has been in effect since 1960, after Hawaii became a state the prior year. The flags we"re looking at here are flying in New Jersey"s Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.Desktop Version
New Year s Eve
New Year s Eve
The Land of Fire and Ice earns its nickname from the unique landscape of volcanoes and glaciers here, but Iceland"s white-hot celebrations in the dead of the Nordic midwinter also evoke the phrase. The tradition of New Year"s Eve bonfires in Iceland is said to date from the 18th century, when a group of schoolboys heralded the new year by scrounging up and torching a huge pile of wood scraps. The unruly teenagers" celebration sparked the general public"s interest, and annual fires—like this one in Reykjavik—became an internationally noted tradition for Icelanders. Huddle up to the fire and raise a toasty-warm toast to the new year!Desktop Version
Kluane National Park
Kluane National Park
What looks here like an ice road for 50-foot-tall truckers is really Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada"s Kluane National Park. This corner of the Yukon is home to the largest ice field on Earth outside of the poles, with the slow, steady flow of more than 2,000 glaciers continually carving these vast canyons amid the peaks.Desktop Version
Computer Science EDU Week
Computer Science EDU Week
In the decidedly pre-digital 19th century, English polymath Charles Babbage developed his design for an Analytical Engine, a machine that incorporates many of the functional ideas of modern computers. The diagram in our photo today shows the plans for the inner workings of Babbage"s mechanical computer. Construction was difficult and expensive, given the precision required for the crafted metal parts, so Babbage tinkered on his own but died before he saw his vision realized. Engineers have since built working models of Babbage"s machine.Desktop Version
Is that a smile?
Is that a smile?
For World Smile Day, we bring you one animal that can’t really smile, at least not in a way that humans recognize. The common octopus, seen in this photo, has a mouth with a beak-like exterior which it uses to crack the shells of the crabs and shellfish it eats. That opening you can see in this photo, below the octopus’ eye, is an aperture, part of its breathing mechanism. Still, if you let your imagination run with it, the octopus does look like he just heard a really good joke. And really, isn’t a ‘grinning’ octopus enough to make you feel good on World Smile Day?Desktop Version
Happy Star Wars Day!
Happy Star Wars Day!
Sprinting over the sands, this grey seal reminds us of Luke Skywalker"s zippy landspeeder vehicle from the first "Star Wars" flick. But unlike Luke, it"s not bound for Tosche Station to pick up some power converters—just to the sea for a fishy snack.Desktop Version
Corfe gets creepy
Corfe gets creepy
Spying the crooked silhouette of Corfe Castle above the rolling, foggy hills of Dorset, England, you might not guess at the ruin"s former palatial beauty—you"ll more likely sense its long history of intrigue, and maybe feel a chill down your spine.Desktop Version
Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
It may look like we"ve led you into a squishy green minefield, but don"t worry, these clustered oysters will only explode with flavor. In honor of Oyster Day, August 5 of each year, we"re getting a glimpse of just one method of oyster mariculture, or farming in open seawater. The briny bivalves may be grown on beds, rods, racks, or—in this case—ropes, but the basic process is simple: Growing surfaces are "seeded" with whole or ground oyster shells before oyster larvae are introduced. The shells attract the larvae, which attach themselves and soon grow into a new layer of mature oysters. Humans have been doing this at least since the days of ancient Rome, but wild-picked oysters have been an important food source to many cultures since prehistory.Desktop Version
Who left the tub running?
Who left the tub running?
"Sound II," this sculpture by Antony Gormley, has stood here in the oft-flooded crypt of Winchester Cathedral in the south of England since 1986—not trying to get a plumber on the horn, but quietly standing guard and studying the water in its cupped hands. Elsewhere in the cathedral you"ll find another notable statue: The likeness of William "Diver Bill" Walker, a local hero who—for six years starting in 1906—worked alone in a heavy diving suit to shore up the increasingly flooded structure as it threatened to sink into the boggy soil beneath. Nowadays it"s stable, but the lowest level still sees its share of standing water during rainy periods.Desktop Version
Birds of a feather
Birds of a feather
Today is World Migratory Bird Day in Latin and South America, so to honor the occasion we"ve chosen these flamingos, rising above the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. Changes in daylight hours and food availability can trigger seasonal migrations in many bird species, including flamingos. American flamingos like these will migrate relatively short distances, usually to ensure a steady food supply. Found mainly throughout the Caribbean, their range extends as far north as southern Florida.Desktop Version
A courtyard scene from Spain
A courtyard scene from Spain
For centuries people have lavishly decorated the courtyards of Córdoba, in southern Spain"s Andalusia region. Here in the San Basilio neighborhood of the city’s old town, the densely packed whitewashed houses look out onto courtyards and patios embellished by hanging flowerpots and trailing plants. The sculpture on today’s homepage, by artist José Manuel Belmonte, pays homage to the caretakers who pass along the tradition.Desktop Version
Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Turquoise waters surrounded by jagged peaks and lush forests—that"s Lake Pehoé for you. Nestled in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, this glacial lake reflects the towering peaks of the Cuernos del Paine, pictured here bathed in the sun"s rays. The lake gets its color from finely ground rock particles and minerals, known as glacial flour, suspended in the water. The word "paine," pronounced pie-neh, in the park’s name is believed to have its roots in a Tehuelche word meaning "blue" while "torres" means towers. The park is named after three striking granite peaks that reach up to 8,200 feet above sea level but boasts many other spectacular mountains. At 700 square miles, Torres del Paine is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with a huge amount to offer visitors, from hiking and kayaking to stargazing. So, pack your sense of adventure and head south to beat the blues.Desktop Version
Rays on parade
Rays on parade
The feeding frenzy is on! Each spring and fall, the waters off Mexico"s Baja California Peninsula become the perfect place to spot Munk"s devil rays in massive schools like this one. Unlike stingrays (and perhaps the devil), devil rays lack fearsome pointy tails. In fact, these fish are pretty gentle all around, feeding mainly on plankton. And for them, mealtime is party time: During huge devil ray gatherings like this, rays are seen continually bursting out of the water and landing with loud bellyflops.Desktop Version
Nothing plain about it
Nothing plain about it
The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a unique attraction in California—not just because of its breathtaking, colorful views, but also due to its quiet, isolated feel. Just a few hours north of Los Angeles, it covers almost 250,000 acres along the base of the Temblor Mountains, giving visitors a chance to escape the crowds and experience nature. In spring, wildflowers cover the hills and valley floor, creating the amazing scene pictured here. The area also features other diverse plant species, including several listed as threatened or endangered. Wildlife includes antelope and elk, as well as rare species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and the giant kangaroo rat.Desktop Version