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May 11, 2020A tree amid the Tetons

This limber pine standing alone in the sagebrush flats has a name—Old Patriarch. A favorite subject of nature photographers in Wyoming"s Grand Teton National Park, Old Patriarch is thought to be more than a thousand years old. The Cathedral Group of the Teton Mountains forms a breathtaking backdrop, bursting up from the valley floor below and stretching dramatically to the soaring peaks. The national park spreads out below the spires for 310,000 acres, featuring extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain. Sounds like the Old Patriarch has found quite a home for himself.Desktop Version

May 6, 2019Love blossoms

Today marks the first day of National Wildflower Week, so we"re shining a light on fireweed—a ‘weed’ in name only and a wildflower that’s a welcome sight wherever it grows. This tall, willowy perennial is a pioneer species, which means it"s often among the first plants to colonize an area cleared by fire or other damaging events. Native to temperate zones in the Northern Hemisphere, fireweed thrives along streams, roadsides, and forests, creating stunning blankets of pink in open meadows.Desktop Version

Mar 24, 2023Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany

These pristine, white blooms are wild garlic plants, probably not what comes to mind when you think of flowers. You can get a closer look if you visit the Hainich National Park in Thuringia, Germany. This national park was founded in 1997 to protect its ancient beech forest, which is full of lush deciduous trees.Desktop Version

Jan 14, 2021Summer huts in winter

We"re getting chilly just looking at these snow-covered beach huts in England—and that cyclist slogging through the white stuff. But in the summer, these huts in Brighton and Hove (neighboring towns that share a local government) are in major demand. You can"t stay in them overnight, but they give you a place to change your clothes and stash your belongings, which makes a day at the beach less messy and generally more pleasant. The seaside resort area is also known for attractions like Brighton Palace Pier, which offers amusement park rides and fast food, and the i360 tower, which takes visitors 450 feet up for a 360-degree view across Brighton, the South Downs, and English Channel.Desktop Version

Feb 22, 2021Invisible no longer

As the calendar nears the end of Black History Month, we"re paying a visit to the memorial for American writer Ralph Ellison in New York"s Riverside Park. The 15-foot-tall bronze monolith depicts a striding, purposeful figure—or rather, the absence of a figure. For this sculpture, by artist Elizabeth Catlett, was inspired by Ellison"s most famous written work, "Invisible Man," published in 1952. The lyrical, uncompromising novel is narrated by an unnamed Black man who describes his agonizing search for identity in a society largely hostile to African Americans and blind to the suffering and indignities of the Black experience. The sculpture bears an inscription of the novel"s opening words: "I am an invisible man…I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." Widely recognized as one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century, "Invisible Man" won the National Book Award in 1953 and remains one of the most searing portraits of modern American life.Desktop Version

Aug 7, 2021Salt of the earth

This shimmering white expanse could easily be mistaken for Antarctica. But what we"re looking at isn"t snow and ice—it"s a surreal landscape of endless salt high in the Andes of southwest Bolivia. Located at a lofty altitude of about 12,000 feet above sea level, Salar de Uyuni is the world"s largest salt flat (or salt pan), spanning just over 4,000 square miles. It was formed when prehistoric lakes dried up over centuries, leaving behind a desert of bright white salt that can be seen from space. During the rainy season (December to April), a thin layer of water covering the salt transforms the area into a giant mirror that reflects the beautiful Bolivian skies. If you"re driving across the surface at such times, it can appear as though you are navigating through a highway of clouds.Desktop Version

Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere

As we in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to greet spring, many in Australia are probably looking forward to the end of a punishing summer. Relatively temperate autumn weather must come as a relief to our friends Down Under. Some are likely greeting the change in seasons with a trip to the pool, like the swimmers in today"s image of the Bronte Baths, an ocean pool located in a Sydney suburb. While seaside swimming pools aren"t unique to Australia, this island country is known for its many oceanside pools, which provide sheltered spots for swimming in places where rocky shorelines and occasional shark attacks can make ocean swimming difficult or dangerous.Desktop Version

Oct 19, 2020A cliff-hanging complex of temples

Feast your eyes on the colorful Mati Si (Horse"s Hoof Temple) and its cliffside complex of sandstone grottoes and wooden pavilions. An indentation in the sandstone provides a clue to the mythical origin of the temple. One legend has it that a frightened longma—a winged dragon horse—visited here thousands of years ago and left its hoof mark in the rock as it landed. What you can"t see in our homepage image is the narrow network of tunnels cut into the cliff, connecting the seven floors and multiple grottoes to the Mati Si pagoda, which is 200 feet high and holds hundreds of Buddha statues.Desktop Version

Nov 2, 2020Waiting for winter

These polar bears seem to be just as happy as we are to visit Torngat Mountains National Park today. Located in Canada at the tip of the Labrador Peninsula and bordering the Labrador Sea, the park is accessible only by boat, charter plane, or helicopter. The name "Torngat" comes from the Inuktitut word "Tongait," meaning "place of spirits." The Inuit have lived here for centuries and still fish and hunt across the wide tundra valleys where these polar bears roam. This time of year, polar bears are waiting for the sea ice to form so they can venture out onto the Labrador Sea to hunt for seals.Desktop Version

Sep 4, 2018What the hay?

Is it harvest time where you live? Perhaps growing up you spent this season bucking hay with your family. If you’re not familiar with the practice, it involves stacking hay bales that weigh up to 150 pounds–-often throwing them up onto higher levels. These days, farmers use sophisticated machinery to handle many aspects of hay production. The round, uniform bales of hay shown here in the fields of Tuscany were likely produced by a baler machine. And the round shape, while not as easy to maneuver as the rectangular style, is more resistant to moisture, which can damage a crop. Happy harvest!Desktop Version

Jan 25, 2020Happy New Year! (Again!)

For the first day of the Chinese New Year, we’re showing the southern fortification of the Xi"an City Wall as it was decorated and lit up for last year"s lunar new year party. The south gate was rebuilt in 2014 and is often used to stage the fireworks show that rings in the Chinese New Year, which falls between late January and early February. Why a different new year celebration date? It comes down to the sun versus the moon: While the widely used Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth"s rotation around the sun, the lunar calendar is marked by the phases of the moon. So, the Gregorian new year always falls on January 1, while the lunar new year date moves around from year to year. Either way, we"re excited to have another excuse to throw a party.Desktop Version

Apr 20, 2018No, it s not a leaf. Happy Look-alike Day

Did our homepage image make you do a doubletake? That’s what this copycat had in mind. You’re looking at a leaf insect, a highly skilled mimic that lives in the rainforests of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Its camouflaged appearance helps it blend right in with the foliage it likes to frequent, protecting the bug from predators like birds and reptiles. Even its gait is deceptive—the leaf insect rocks back and forth when moving, much like the swaying of a leaf in the breeze.Desktop Version

May 19, 2020Loud waters

Roaring Fork may seem like a misnomer for this mountain stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During dry spells, it"s a gentle brook. But Roaring Fork descends 2,500 feet over just 2 miles—a steep drop down Mount Le Conte. When heavy rains swell the stream, Roaring Fork transforms into a whitewater rush, with the sound of the surging water echoing off the sandstone walls of the mountain.Desktop Version

Jul 11, 2018All is silent for Big Ben’s musical milestone

‘Big Ben’ is the name commonly used to describe the tower, the clock, and the bell of this London landmark. But technically, Big Ben refers only to the tower’s Great Bell, which Londoners first heard chime on this day in 1859. Ordinarily, four quarter bells chime at 15, 30, and 45 minutes past the hour and again just before Big Ben tolls on the hour. However, Big Ben is silent for today’s anniversary. It stopped tolling in 2017 to undergo significant renovations that are expected to last through 2021. Eager tourists can still visit the tower, which was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.Desktop Version

Dec 27, 2020Turning darkness into light

Winter illuminations are a big deal in Japan and there is perhaps no bigger display than the one here at Nabana no Sato, a flower park in the gardens of Nagashima Spa Land in Kuwana, Japan. This image is just a glimpse of what awaits you in the park. More than 8.5 million LED lightbulbs illuminate pathways, trees, and the park"s famous "Tunnel of Lights." Can"t make it for the holidays? No worries. While many of Japan"s light displays end after the new year, this one lasts from mid-October through early May. And if not this year (hello pandemic), maybe next?Desktop Version

Oct 19, 2018Portland celebrates its bounty

Colonial settlements in Portland, Maine, began with an economy based heavily on fishing, but over the years it has built up a bustling culinary scene as well. In fact, it’s been dubbed the ‘Foodiest Small Town in America.’ This week the Harvest on the Harbor Festival is showcasing what Portland’s chefs and other food and drink professionals can do with the region’s abundant foods, especially locally caught lobster. Harvest on the Harbor lasts until October 21, so if you’re the jet-setting type, there’s still time for a weekend getaway.Desktop Version

Feb 27, 2022International 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

Jun 18, 2020Boating on the Bojo

The Bojo River has been the lifeline for the people of Aloguinsan, a sparsely populated municipality of Cebu province in the Philippines. This region of Cebu only recently became a tourist destination when locals started offering cruises along the Bojo in small, outrigger-style boats like the one seen in this photo. Even with this new industry boosting the local economy over the past few years, Aloguinsan remained an out-of-the-way spot for tourists—larger towns and cities nearby still attracted more visitors. But the remoteness of the Bojo was always part of the selling point: Visitors who made the effort to come take a ride down the river would get taste of the quiet life in the fishing villages along the banks.Desktop Version

Aug 10, 2020Kings of the Kalahari

We"re celebrating World Lion Day with these two lion cubs in the Kalahari Desert region of Botswana. The young cats may be cute and cuddly now, but they"ll soon grow up to be one of the most powerful and majestic animals in the world. The predominant predator in the region, Kalahari lions cover vast territories spanning harsh shrublands and desert. As prey becomes scarcer, Kalahari lions travel in smaller prides and often cover longer distances in search of their next meal. As of 2015, lions were listed as vulnerable and placed on the World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species. World Lion Day supports and promotes organizations and conservation efforts that address the dwindling wild lion population.Desktop Version

Aug 16, 2020Here s looking at you

This bright-eyed burrowing owl is emerging from its burrow just in time to enjoy the sunset here in Northern California. And yes, you read that right—it’s a burrowing owl. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls nest and roost underground, often in tunnels abandoned by ground squirrels or prairie dogs. It"s one of many traits that make the pint-sized species unique among owls. Burrowing owls live in grasslands, deserts, or other open dry areas with low vegetation. When threatened, they retreat to their burrows and are known to frighten off predators by mimicking the rattling and hissing sounds of a rattlesnake. And while most other owls sleep during the daytime, burrowing owls are often active in the daylight hours. It"s as if they didn"t finish proper owl training.Desktop Version

May 9, 2019An endless journey

In May the rainy season in the southern Serengeti ends, and herds of zebras numbering in the hundreds of thousands begin to migrate north across the plains from Tanzania up to the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. The herd in our photo today shows a small portion of the 250,000 zebras that will spend the next couple of months or so on the northern leg of their year-long loop across the plains. Joining the zebras will be 1.5 million blue wildebeest that follow the same migratory route. Not every zebra will survive the 500-mile journey. By July the surviving herd will arrive in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, only to leave in November and return to Tanzania.Desktop Version

Jan 27, 2020Thomas Edison s bright idea

On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platina contact wires." This wasn"t exactly the first light bulb, but it was the first practical and inexpensive one, a key technological innovation that introduced a new era. To mark the day, we"re looking at the bright lights of New York City and its surrounding area, as seen from the International Space Station.Desktop Version

Mar 20, 2020Heron lies the Salton Sea

Migratory bird species are predictable frequent fliers, taking to the sky to travel along roughly the same route, at the same time, every year. Following sources of food and water along the way, the birds often fly great distances to reach breeding grounds or places to spend the winter. Today, we"re looking at an important stopover for migratory birds—California"s largest lake, the Salton Sea.Desktop Version

Dec 12, 2019On the lookout for Sheep-Cote Clod

You"re looking at one of the oldest breeds of sheep in the world. Icelandic sheep are descended from short-tailed sheep brought to the island from Norway in the 9th and 10th centuries with the first waves of settlers. These sheep, with their dual-layer woolly coats, thrive in this harsh environment, outnumbering people in Iceland by more than 2-to-1. But on December 12, Icelandic sheep, especially the ewes, will have to contend with something more fearsome than the wind chill factor. Sheep-Cote Clod, the first of the 13 Yule Lads, is due to visit. Who"s that and what"s he up to? Take our quiz to find out.Desktop Version

Sep 18, 2020Homeward bound

Each September in Iceland brings the arrival of réttir, the annual sheep roundup. After spending spring and summer grazing in the hills and meadows of the Icelandic countryside, the nation"s many sheep—all members of a distinct breed—are brought home to their ranches to avoid the harsh winter weather. It"s not an easy task—ranchers and Icelandic sheepdogs endeavor to bring the often stubborn sheep in, and then they must sort them so they go back to their respective owners. When the sheep are all secure at their home ranches, people customarily celebrate with music, dancing, drinks, and food. In recent years, the event has attracted tourists interested in seeing this collaborative undertaking in action, but of course, even in the Icelandic countryside, social events like réttir celebrations will be a bit more subdued this year.Desktop Version

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