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Cherry blossoms spring to life
Cherry blossoms spring to life
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is always a highlight of spring in our nation"s capital. It"s timed for the peak bloom date (usually the last week in March or first week of April) when most of the blossoms are open on the cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin. The trees were originally a gift from Japan, planted in Washington in 1912. While some Cherry Blossom Festival events are virtual this year, the trees will decorate the city as usual—just as they do in this photo framing the Jefferson Memorial. This year"s festival began on March 20 and runs until April 11. It includes in-person tours and activities visitors can do on their own, as well as virtual viewings and an online Celebration Show that debuts on April 9.Desktop Version
What are these creatures?
What are these creatures?
No, this isn"t a still image from a sci-fi space opera. We"re offshore of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, watching a Glaucus atlanticus, aka "sea swallow" or "blue sea dragon," snack on the poisonous tentacles of a Porpita porpita, aka "blue button." At the tips of the blue button"s tentacles are stinging cells called nematocysts, but the venom doesn"t deter the sea swallow. Instead, once the sea swallow ingests the blue button"s poison, it stores the venom in the tips of its own feather-like fingers called papillae. Would-be predators should think twice before biting the sea swallow. The poison concentrated in its papillae can kill a predator in seconds. If you come across either of these creatures washed ashore, don"t touch! While the stings aren"t deadly to humans, they can cause skin irritation.Desktop Version
A march toward a dream
A march toward a dream
For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we"re going back to August 28, 1963, to the March on Washington. Among those in the front line of demonstrators are baseball great Jackie Robinson and bus-boycott activist Rosa Parks, both towering figures in the civil rights movement. Later this day, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. would deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of a quarter-million protesters packed onto the National Mall. The speech is considered among the best in American history and a defining moment in the fight for civil rights. King was just 34 years old.Desktop Version
Denali National Park
Denali National Park
Someone ought to tell these Dall sheep they don"t blend in here at Polychrome Pass. Their white coats may be great camouflage against the Alaskan snows, but the warm tones of this tundra make them stick out a bit. And they aren"t the only thing sticking out in this national park: It"s home to the tallest mountain in North America.Desktop Version
A ‘city’ within Valencia
A ‘city’ within Valencia
Inspired by the City of Science and Industry in Paris, the Valencian Autonomous Government created the City of Arts and Sciences, enlisting the talents of architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela to give the Spanish city a modern cultural attraction. Built in a park on the drained riverbed of the Turia River, the first portions of the multi-building attraction opened in 1998. Several additions followed, the most recent being L"Àgora, a covered plaza that opened in 2009 to host concerts, exhibitions, and other events.Desktop Version
New Year s Day
New Year s Day
If your first scheduled activity of the day has ever involved intentionally jumping into an icy lake or a frigid bay, then you understand the relevance of today"s image from the Svalbard Islands of Norway. Polar bear plunges, as these swims have come to be known, take place all over the world, often on New Year"s Day. Whether people take the plunge for charity, penance, or shock value, there"s no better way to put an exclamation point on the first day of the year. Of course, for actual polar bears, ice cold plunges are an everyday occurrence and won"t elicit much more than a yawn.Desktop Version
A swim in the sky
A swim in the sky
A lap in the Sky Pool may have you holding your breath, and not just because you"re underwater. With the streets of London looming 10 stories down, the view through the pool"s clear bottom is a bit freaky to all but the fearless. But swimming here is a one-of-a-kind experience, and for some lucky residents of these twin apartment blocks near the US Embassy, a convenient way to pop in on neighbors the next building over.Desktop Version
Glendurgan Garden hedge maze is 186 years old
Glendurgan Garden hedge maze is 186 years old
Created by Alfred Fox in 1833 to entertain his 12 children, the cherry laurel hedge maze at Glendurgan Garden was designed to resemble a serpent curled in grass. In addition to the maze, Glendurgan also includes an amazing collection of exotic plants that Fox obtained on his travels and imported from abroad. Luckily, the temperate climate of Cornwall, in South West England, allowed rare imports, like bamboo, Brazilian giant rhubarb, and tree ferns to thrive in this valley garden. In 1962, the Fox family gifted the gardens to the National Trust, a UK charity that works to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty.Desktop Version
Crown Fountain by Jume Plensa at Millennium Park in Chicago
Crown Fountain by Jume Plensa at Millennium Park in Chicago
Welcome to Chicago, the undisputed home of the blues. If you’re a fan of blues music, make your way here to Millennium Park this weekend for the 36th annual Chicago Blues Festival. Blues music is considered one of America’s greatest contributions to world culture and the progenitor of jazz, R&B, and rock & roll.Desktop Version
A special day for a special cat
A special day for a special cat
With short, limber legs and a long tail, the clouded leopard is perfectly adapted for living in the trees. Flexible ankle joints allow it to descend trunks headfirst, one of only two cat species that can pull this off. A long tail provides stabilizing balance for leaps between trees. Sharp, retractable claws let this jungle climber dangle off branches in all sorts of gravity-defying positions.Desktop Version
A theatrical dream
A theatrical dream
The work of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí is the stuff of dreams: melting clocks, burning giraffes, weird objects suspended in midair. Gaze at a Dalí and you may find yourself gripped with a strange sense of familiarity, like your subconscious has visited this strange place before. But what if you could literally step into a huge Dalí piece?Desktop Version
A garden of prickly delights
A garden of prickly delights
To celebrate the final weekend of National Park Week, we"re at Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California, about a three-hour drive from Los Angeles. This 1,235-square-mile stretch of land where the Mojave and Colorado Deserts converge was declared a national monument in 1936, then was redesignated a national park in 1994. That status protects a wide variety of plant and animal life, including the eponymous Joshua tree, which can be found growing mostly in the hills on the Mojave side of the park.Desktop Version
Sleep tight, little hedgehog
Sleep tight, little hedgehog
Though they may seem exotic to most people in the Americas, wild hedgehogs are quite common in much of the rest of the world. The tiny creatures are usually nocturnal and use their spiky exteriors to protect themselves. Each hedgehog has about 6,000 quills, but the quills aren"t poisonous and don"t easily detach, like those of the also-quilled (but completely unrelated) porcupine.Desktop Version
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
We"re not sure whether it deserves the blue ribbon for most colorful stingray or most literal name, but there"s no doubt the bluespotted ribbontail ray is a standout. Shower it in accolades from a distance, though. Those bright blue polka dots are—as is the case with many brightly colored animals—a warning to predators that the ray"s stinging tail packs a potent poison.Desktop Version
A learning garden
A learning garden
Today we’re at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire, England. The gardens have gone through many changes since 1931, when Beatrix Havergal and Avice Sanders first began turning the grounds of a country house into an educational public garden. (Waterperry grew much-needed produce during World War II.) The gardening school at Waterperry closed in 1971, and now the land is owned and operated by the School of Economic Science, which uses some of the buildings for study projects and retreats. Waterperry is a wonderful example of classic English gardening. Visitors can stroll through the aromatic knot garden seen on our homepage today, or explore other parts of the gardens, including orchards, a nursery, and a museum.Desktop Version
Nesting season for the leatherbacks
Nesting season for the leatherbacks
This time of year is nesting season for leatherback sea turtles in the Atlantic. After mating at sea, these big mamas—leatherbacks are the largest of all turtles—haul themselves up onto beaches in the same region where they were born. The turtles dig out nests in the sand and lay a clutch of about 80 fertilized eggs the size of billiard balls. They"ll repeat this ritual a few more times before returning to their migratory lives in the open ocean. About 65 days later, turtle hatchlings will start to poke up through the sand and make a dash toward the safety of the sea. But the odds are against them: Only 1 percent of the hatchlings will live to reach sexual maturity, at around 16 years old.Desktop Version
A big place to shop small
A big place to shop small
Small Business Saturday started in 2010 to get shoppers out of the big box stores the day after Black Friday to support local retailers instead. The US is home to more than 30 million small businesses (500 employees or fewer), representing 47 percent of private sector employees. Of course, the concept of patronizing local merchants is nothing new. Here in Marrakesh, Morocco, souks (markets) like this one in Jemaa el-Fnaa Square have long been a big part of daily life, as well as major tourist attractions. During the day, musicians, dancers, and even snake charmers entertain shoppers as they search for crafts, clothing, and other goods. At night, the focus shifts to dining, with dozens of stalls offering different specialties and takes on traditional Moroccan food.Desktop Version
Of moose and Maine
Of moose and Maine
As spring unfolds in Maine, the backwoods teem with life small and large. We"d say this water lily-munching moose belongs in the second category. Moose are the bulkiest members of the deer family, trouncing their relatives in size: Bulls can weigh in at well over 1,500 pounds. And while this hulking hoofer"s velvety antlers are still sprouting, they may soon span more than 6 feet.Desktop Version
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Think of this special spot as the place where two different Alaskas meet—its vast icy north and its verdant maritime south. Glacier Bay is named for this area"s dominant feature, the rivers of ice that carve the landscape and periodically calve icebergs into the sea. On February 26, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge declared much of the land around the bay a national monument. The protected area was greatly expanded in 1980, when a 3.3-million-acre expanse of glaciers, fjords, rainforest, coastline, and mountain peaks was named a national park and preserve.Desktop Version
Uredd Rest Area, Norway
Uredd Rest Area, Norway
With sweeping views of fjords, mountains, and the sea, this is possibly one of the most beautiful places in the world to rest when you are on the road. Ureddplassen, also known as Uredd Rest Area, provides a place for respite to travelers on a section of the Helgelandskysten national scenic route in Norway. It also serves as a WWII memorial, sharing its name with a Norwegian submarine which was lost when it hit a German mine in February 1943.Desktop Version
Coming home to roost
Coming home to roost
From North America to Western Europe, northern gannets live all along the North Atlantic coasts. These large birds spend most of their lives at sea, following schools of sardines, herring, and other small fish that they feed on. During breeding and hatching season, northern gannets often return to the same colony locations year after year, where thousands of birds may gather to nest and rear their young. This group is busily collecting nesting material on Great Saltee Island, the larger of the two Saltee Islands, about 3 miles off the coast of southern Ireland. Both Great and Little Saltee are largely unoccupied, well, unless you count all the birds.Desktop Version
Spot on for International Cat Day
Spot on for International Cat Day
One of the smallest of the big cats, the leopard is known for its shy personality, athleticism, and its spots, called rosettes. You can find leopards in many parts of Africa and Asia, but the subspecies pictured here roams the semiarid terrain of Sub-Saharan Africa. Skilled climbers and predominantly solo travelers, leopards can often be found draped along the branch of an acacia or other tall tree. They climb trees to hunt, but also to eat—they don’t like to share food, and they like to eat slowly.Desktop Version
Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Arkansas
Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Arkansas
The Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista, Arkansas, is one of the most charming buildings in the country. Constructed in 1988 and named for a beloved community member whose husband commissioned it, this chapel was designed by E. Fay Jones, an architect known for his wooden creations. Its unique design seamlessly blends modernist principles with nature"s splendor, resulting in a harmonious space which blends with its natural setting. Surrounded by lush trees, with sunlight filtering in through the huge glass windows, the chapel serves as a perfect sanctuary for contemplation and prayer. It also stands as a powerful testament to the ability of architecture to inspire and uplift the human spirit.Desktop Version
World Jellyfish Day
World Jellyfish Day
Today we"re celebrating World Jellyfish Day—even though these creatures are best described as otherworldly. Despite their alien qualities (not to mention their inability to vocalize), jellyfish have a lot to say to us about the history of life on Earth.Desktop Version
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
These dancers from the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma are preforming a ceremonial Gourd Dance at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial in New Mexico, an annual gathering that also includes art, demonstrations, a rodeo, parades, and other events. We’re featuring the image in honor of Native American Indian Heritage Month, which is observed each November. The commemorative month celebrates the contributions of Native Americans to our national culture. In honor of this event, we invite you to learn more about Native people in your region.Desktop Version