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The tortoise and the finch
The tortoise and the finch
That’s a type of Darwin’s finch perched atop a giant tortoise on Isabela Island, the largest of the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos form an archipelago more than 500 miles off the west coast of the South American mainland, and the islands are home to many species found nowhere else on earth. The bird is named, of course, for Charles Darwin, the naturalist who traveled here in 1835. His observations of several finch species and other wildlife endemic to the Galápagos contributed to his theory of natural selection, which he documented in ‘On the Origin of Species,’ a book that’s considered a cornerstone of biology. It was first published on this day in 1859.Desktop Version
Oh, happy day!
Oh, happy day!
This baby harbor seal is happily ensconced on a beach on the German island of Düne in the North Sea archipelago of Heligoland. Throngs of seal watchers come here every May and June to watch these cute pups spend their first few weeks of life lolling about the beach.Desktop Version
In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
Swamps and bogs probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think of America’s celebrated landscapes. That’s a shame, since wetlands like these play a crucial role in the health of our ecosystems. In addition to providing unique habitat to the many species that call wetlands home, they filter water, provide a natural buffer from storms, absorb flood waters, and capture carbon from the atmosphere—helping to protect our planet from climate change.Desktop Version
Lighting the way to new beginnings
Lighting the way to new beginnings
The Lantern Festival marks the final day of Lunar (aka Chinese) New Year celebrations, which began this year on February 12 when we ushered in the Year of the Ox. Traditionally, the day of the festival is filled with dancing, firecrackers, children"s games, and food—including tangyuan, balls of rice flour that are generally loaded with sweet fillings. After sundown, celebrants gather to light or observe lanterns like the ones we see here in Chengdu, China. The lanterns are made in all sizes, shapes, and colors, and sometimes illustrate historical or mythological scenes. This year, most public celebrations will be canceled or reimagined online due to COVID-19 concerns, but the spirit remains the same. Many think of lanterns as symbolic of a new start and a way to illuminate the future as a new year begins.Desktop Version
Pascua Florida Day
Pascua Florida Day
We"re at the Ponce de León Inlet Light in Central Florida for Pascua Florida Day, which marks the anniversary of the Spanish explorer"s arrival here in 1513. Believing this stretch of coast to be an island, Ponce de León claimed the land for Spain and named it "La Florida"—because of the verdant landscape and also because it was during the Easter season, which the Spaniards called "Pascua Florida" (Festival of Flowers). According to legend, Ponce de León arrived here in search of the Fountain of Youth, a mythical water source said to restore the youth of those who drink from it or bathe in its waters. While that mission was unsuccessful, his name lives on in history–and on this lighthouse and the inlet where it shines.Desktop Version
‘The mountains are calling’
‘The mountains are calling’
Mountains matter—that’s the message from the United Nations for International Mountain Day, observed on December 11. More than half the world’s population relies on mountains for fresh water, food, and clean energy. When mountain ecosystems are threatened by climate change and land degradation, it endangers not just plants and animals, but also the people who depend on mountains to survive. Here at Mount Kilimanjaro, viewed from Chyulu Hills National Park in neighboring Kenya, the peak’s shrinking glaciers and ice fields are being closely monitored by scientists.Desktop Version
Hello, harbinger of spring
Hello, harbinger of spring
Welcome back, little mountain bluebird. Although this bright fellow may be enduring the last of this year"s snow in Yellowstone National Park, his presence means winter will soon be ending. The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and a welcome sign of spring in many cultures. Soon other migratory birds will arrive in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—an 18-million-acre tract that includes Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests. It"s the world"s largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone. What exactly does that mean? Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone 25 years ago, all the animal species that were first documented by European explorers can still be found here.Desktop Version
Cold? What cold?
Cold? What cold?
As the Scandinavian saying goes, "There"s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes." The adventurer seen here near the top of our image is conquering the New England chill on a stand-up paddleboard, a cold ocean removed from Nordic shores. But this watery winter excursion embodies the Scandie stamina distilled in the Norwegian word friluftsliv, literally translated as "free air life"—the notion that any time is a great time to be outdoors, weather be damned.Desktop Version
Venice by night
Venice by night
In Venice, Italy, the third Sunday in July is known as "Festa del Redentore" (The Redeemer"s Feast), which commemorates the city"s salvation from the plague in the 16th century. As Italy still reels from being hard hit by the new coronavirus, the holiday is particularly poignant this year. It traditionally features a fireworks display, a regatta, and a temporary bridge that connects the Zattere promenade to the Church of the Redeemer on the island of Giudecca. While this year"s celebration will look different due to COVID-19, it will still be an important and festive day for Venetians.Desktop Version
Corjuem Fort in Goa, India
Corjuem Fort in Goa, India
Corjuem Fort, built in 1705 by Portuguese colonists, was abandoned in 1894 but never demolished. It is now a protected historical site in Goa, India, and during the right time of year, Corjuem can look like it"s being eaten by the forest.Desktop Version
Duck, duck. duck, duck, duck...
Duck, duck. duck, duck, duck...
When king eider males line up in a dandy display like this, it"s likely because they"re courting a hen (or what birders call a "queen eider"). These colorful drakes aren"t your regular ducks. They"re sea ducks, a group that includes several large duck species that feed off the coast in salt water. As you can see, male king eiders have striking multicolored plumage and yellowish knobs above their bills that are said to resemble crowns. They, and the less-ornate brown females, make their home in the frigid waters along the Arctic coasts of northern Europe, North America, and Asia.Desktop Version
The ‘Living Forest’ in Biscay, Spain
The ‘Living Forest’ in Biscay, Spain
The forest comes alive deep in Spain’s Oma Valley near the Biscay estuary. This is Basque Country, and the local Basque painter, sculptor, and land artist Agustín Ibarrola has created a unique work of land art that combines various motifs—geometric shapes, eyes, rainbows, abstract designs—all painted in bright colors on multiple clusters of trees. Visitors claim that while walking among the trees, the designs create a hypnotic effect and contrast profoundly with the natural surroundings here within the UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai.Desktop Version
International Day of Friendship
International Day of Friendship
Who better to embody the spirit of International Friendship Day than these two buddies of different species? Here in Zimbabwe"s Mana Pools National Park, the hamerkop, a wading bird, catches a ride from a hippo into deeper waters, where it can access fish and insects it otherwise couldn"t reach.Desktop Version
Kelp buddies
Kelp buddies
These sea otters in Alaska are floating amid kelp—an important flora friend to the endangered marine mammals. Sea otters live mostly in the water and use the thick blades of kelp to anchor themselves as they sleep and to keep their buoyant pups from floating away. Just as the kelp helps otters, sea otters help the kelp, too. They ensure the kelp"s survival by eating sea urchins. If sea urchin populations are left unchecked, these spiny vacuum cleaners of the sea destroy kelp forests by munching on holdfasts that tether kelp to the ocean floor. The resulting clear-cut areas, called urchin barrens, are devastating to the overall ecosystem. Kelp forests provide food and safe harbor for hundreds of fish species and other sea creatures. They also remove carbon dioxide from the air, a benefit to us all.Desktop Version
Construction workers resting above Manhattan
Construction workers resting above Manhattan
For Labor Day, we’re going way back to the 1930s, during the construction of New York City’s RCA Building, better known today as 30 Rockefeller Plaza, or simply ‘30 Rock.’ While many of us will spend the weekend grilling, working, or maybe even napping like these workers (hopefully not 800 feet above the ground, though), it’s worth noting the origins of this holiday. Labor Day was established in the late 19th century, by trade unionists who proposed a day to honor the contributions of the labor movement. However you labor, and however you spend your day, we hope it’s a pleasant one.Desktop Version
Going with the floe
Going with the floe
Welcome to Disko Bay near the town of Ilulissat, Greenland, where summer"s midnight sun will dip just below the horizon for only about an hour and a half tonight. In fact, for several weeks in the period around the summer solstice, the sun doesn"t set at all on Disko Bay. Technically, the "midnight sun" occurs in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun remains visible at the local midnight. This natural phenomenon lasts from April to August in the northern regions of Greenland. (The opposite effect, polar night, occurs during winter months when the sun does not rise above the horizon.)Desktop Version
Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
Here at Bing, we’re big fans of national parks. So, when National Park Week comes around, we join with so many others in celebrating ‘America’s best idea.’ National Park Week is an annual celebration of national parks sponsored by the National Park Foundation and National Park Service. This year we’re celebrating by featuring a homepage image of a different national park for each day of the festivities, starting with the granddaddy of US national parks–Yellowstone. This is the Grand Prismatic Spring, a hot spring at Yellowstone that spans 370 feet in diameter and reaches depths of 160 feet, making it the largest hot spring in the US and the third largest in the world. The rainbow of vivid colors is created by heat-loving bacteria that reside in the water. Come back tomorrow to see where we go next.Desktop Version
Art in the high desert
Art in the high desert
The desert doubles as an art studio this week at Arches National Park in Utah. Painters from all over are congregating here for the annual Red Rock Arts Festival. This Moab-based event is a celebration of what the French call painting "en plein air," or painting outside. Sounds like a fabulous idea to us (and what a view!). The colorful landscape here at Arches National Park is home to the highest density of natural arches in the world—upwards of 2,000—as well as hundreds of pinnacles and dramatically balanced rocks. Combine that with the fiery sunsets, pinyon trees, and splashes of sage and yucca, and we"d say these artists are in for a treat. Lucky for them, October is one of the most pleasant times of year to visit.Desktop Version
Happy Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day
Our mama manatee and her calf are gliding through the crystal waters of Three Sisters Springs in Florida. We hope these two remind you of a mother’s love. If you call home for Mother’s Day, here’s some trivia you can share to make mom proud: In 2017, the Florida manatee was reclassified from endangered to threatened in acknowledgment of improvements in its population.Desktop Version
Mountain goats
Mountain goats
Elusive mountain goats, like these three in Canada"s Yukon Territory, rarely let themselves be discovered as plainly as this. Despite its name, the hooved wild mountain goat is not a true goat—in fact, it"s the only genus and species of its kind in the world. Found only in northwestern North America, its closest relatives aren"t domestic goats, but the chamois of Europe and the goral and serow of Asia.Desktop Version
Martinique
Martinique
Welcome to France—but don"t expect your picture taken at the Eiffel Tower today. Folks at this island destination may speak French and spend euros, but we"re more than 4,000 miles from Paris.Desktop Version
It s a good day to be green
It s a good day to be green
For St. Patrick"s Day, we"re featuring an image of the Knowth passage grave, part of Brú na Bóinne, or the Boyne Valley tombs, about an hour"s drive north of Dublin. In addition to Knowth, this UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the Newgrange and Dowth passage graves, henges, standing stones, and a significant portion of Western Europe"s megalithic art. Knowth, the largest passage grave in the complex, is a 40-foot-high mound with a diameter of 220 feet; two east-west passages run under it that lead to separate burial chambers. The structures predate St. Patrick by nearly 4,000 years, and their original purpose is unclear—but on this day dedicated to celebrating all things Irish, they show off the engineering capabilities of the area"s ancient population as well as the natural green beauty of the Irish countryside.Desktop Version
Cross this bridge if you dare
Cross this bridge if you dare
Superstition abounds on Prague"s Charles Bridge, dating back to its construction in 1357. Builders laid the original bridge stone on July 9 at exactly 5:31 AM, the year, date, and time represented by a precise set of numbers that formed a palindrome: 135797531 (or 1357 9, 7 5:31). The sequence, which reads the same backward and forward, is carved onto the stones of the Old Town Bridge Tower at the east end of the bridge and was believed to bring a kind of magical strength to the structure. But the superstition didn"t stop there. The bridge was also constructed in perfect alignment with the tomb of Saint Vitus and the setting sun on the equinox. A more recent superstition involves the statue of the revered Saint John of Nepomuk that stands on the bridge—according to folklore, rubbing the plaque at the base of the statue will grant you a wish.Desktop Version
Land of the midnight sun
Land of the midnight sun
Here we are in the land of the midnight sun, just after the summer solstice. These days of seemingly endless sunlight are especially dramatic here at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall on the south coast of Iceland. The famous waterfall is less than a two-hour drive from Reykjavik, Iceland"s capital city. Intrepid explorers, hopefully kitted out in good traction shoes and raincoats, can explore the walkways behind and surrounding the raging walls of water.Desktop Version
Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
February 17 is known as Random Acts of Kindness Day, and if you’re inspired by this event, our orangutan pictured here could use a helping hand. All three species of orangutans are critically endangered and are found only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. They face many challenges, including habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade. Nonprofits like the World Wildlife Fund are working to protect habitat for orangutans and many other species in Southeast Asia.Desktop Version