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China s colorful terraced pools
China s colorful terraced pools
While the sight of these gorgeous pools may make you want to don a swimsuit and plunge in for a refreshing soak, we don"t recommend it. The water may be fed by underground geothermal springs, but these are no hot springs—the water"s only about 41 F. We"ll take it all in from dry land. The terraced, travertine pools cascade downward for nearly 2 miles. Formed over thousands of years, calcite deposits give the water its unique, and welcoming, turquoise coloration.Desktop Version
Old Town Quito
Old Town Quito
If Ecuador"s capital city, Quito, isn"t high enough for you at 9,350 feet above sea level, you can elevate your experience even further with a journey up El Panecillo. Translated from Spanish, "El Panecillo" means "The Dinner Roll." Rising 650 feet above the old city center, seen in the foreground, this rotund volcanic hill offers perhaps the best possible panorama of Quito. Though our viewpoint here, looking south through Quito"s vast valley, makes for a nice twilight shot, too.Desktop Version
Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Every year, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in Mexico takes place in the forested mountains west of Mexico City. During the fall, colonies of monarch butterflies migrate here from colder northern climates to find warmth and begin their breeding season. These huge flying colonies can contain as many as 20 million monarchs, which make use of air currents to travel as far as 100 nautical miles per day. The monarchs remain in Mexico from around November to March.Desktop Version
Lakeside serenity in Finland
Lakeside serenity in Finland
Hikers and campers in Finland, where today"s photo was taken, are allowed on nearly 90 percent of the nation"s wilderness, regardless of the property"s ownership. This practice is called Everyman"s Right, or "freedom to roam." It"s not really written down in Finland"s laws, but is used as a sort of social pact: Those who want to enjoy the outdoors can roam just about anywhere, as long as they obey a few basic good-behavior rules. It"s a practice that"s observed to varying degrees across many parts of central Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic region, and Scotland.Desktop Version
Don t go chasing waterfalls
Don t go chasing waterfalls
The stunning limestone travertine steps of Beaver Falls are the last in a series of five waterfalls along Havasu Creek, near the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The water gets its turquoise color from calcium carbonate, which reflects the beautiful hue and creates an ever-changing tableau; the minerals are deposited, moved, and redeposited to create new formations.Desktop Version
There’s treasure in them thar hills
There’s treasure in them thar hills
This wintry view comes from Oregon’s Painted Hills, part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and home to one of the most complete fossil records on the planet. Paleontologists have uncovered fossils here that date as far back as 44 million years ago, when this region had a hot, wet, subtropical climate, home to crocodiles and rhino-like plant eaters. And what’s above ground here is equally impressive. This is only a glimpse of the portion of the monument called the Painted Hills, named for its vivid colors that are a result of layers of sediment from various geologic periods.Desktop Version
A species worth defending
A species worth defending
Some folks are quick to dismiss bats as simply ‘scary’ (and the association with Halloween doesn’t help things). But during Bat Appreciation Month, consider their valuable contributions to the ecosystem. Bats around the world help to control bug populations (including agricultural pests), pollinate important plants, and disperse seeds–helping to regenerate lands that have been overharvested or otherwise damaged. In fact, what’s truly scary is how much we’d miss bats if they were gone. In North America, a disease called white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats since it was identified in 2006–and scientists are working hard to find a way to help bats recover. One easy way to help bats is to build or buy a bat box for your property, and provide them with a safe space to roost.Desktop Version
Atrani, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Atrani, Amalfi Coast, Italy
With its red clay roofs and pastel buildings Atrani shines above a sparkling sea on the Amalfi Coast in southwest Italy. Just 800 people get to call Atrani home, the rest of us can only hope to visit one of the country"s smallest towns, walking its narrow roads as we admire the small houses perched above the beach. The traditional fishing village is part of the Costiera Amalfitana UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has kept its traditional characteristics alive. It is a perfect Mediterranean getaway to soak up the sun and enjoy local seafood at a waterfront cafe.Desktop Version
Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier
Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier
The story of the Ferris wheel, first invented for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, is a prime example of human ingenuity in urban environments, which happened to be the theme of our most recent photo contest. Congrats to contest winner Chris Fabregas, who captured this shot of human ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier in California. Santa Monica debuted its Ferris wheel here in 1996 and then adapted it two years later to make it the world’s first solar-powered Ferris wheel, using clean energy for the ride that propelled about 800 passengers an hour. In 2014 it was replaced with a newer version that sports 174,000 LED lights, providing for glittering nighttime scenes just like this.Desktop Version
Happy trails for the 21st century
Happy trails for the 21st century
We celebrate National Park Service Founders Day today with this photo from the John Muir Trail near Mammoth Lakes in California. The 210-mile trail is so long, to hike it all would take you through three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. At 102 years old, the National Park Service continues to do the day-to-day work of preserving our parks ‘for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.’Desktop Version
World Frog Day
World Frog Day
World Frog Day is celebrated every year on March 20, a chance to consider the world"s most famous tailless amphibian. The star of fairy tales, cartoons, films, and TV shows, the charismatic and clearly photogenic frog accounts for almost all amphibian species. Frogs have been around for more than 200 million years, and although they live in both warm and cold places, most reside in tropical rainforests.Desktop Version
Where is this wintry road?
Where is this wintry road?
This wintry, wooded scene comes from Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park in northeastern France, one of the country"s most beautiful and pristine examples of natural beauty. The park, established in 1976, is over 322,000 acres in size, 65% of which is covered in forest. The larch trees seen here are native to many of the mountains of central Europe, such as the Alps, Carpathians, and the Pyrenees.Desktop Version
Spring equinox
Spring equinox
Every year around March 20, the sun aligns with the Earth"s equator, and day and night are about equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is called the spring or vernal equinox, and it marks the astronomical exit of winter into the brighter, warmer springtime. From now on, we can enjoy days that are longer than nights. And a sharp eye might spot a flowering crocus, like the ones in today"s image, among the first flowers to bloom every year.Desktop Version
Let’s go foraging
Let’s go foraging
It’s peak season for many kinds of mushroom, but to find this unique species you’ll have to travel someplace tropical. This cup fungus, cookeina, was photographed growing on the rainforest floor in Costa Rica. Like other fungi, it serves as a decomposer, helping to break down dead plants and animals in the ecosystem. Their unique cup shape aids in spore dispersal; it helps raindrops to splash spores out into the forest where the fungi can spread.Desktop Version
Traveling warblers
Traveling warblers
The Cape May warbler was named for Cape May, New Jersey, where it was first observed by ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1811. After that, these birds weren"t seen again in the area for more than a century.Desktop Version
Desert rose of Qatar
Desert rose of Qatar
International Museum Day brings us to Qatar, a small but wealthy nation on the Arabian Peninsula, surrounded by the waters of the Persian Gulf and bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south. In the capital city of Doha you"ll find its national museum, shown here, which opened in March 2019. This elaborate building was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, who sourced his inspiration from the desert rose crystal. Look closely and amid the futuristic interlocking disks of the new museum you"ll see the early 20th-century Old Amiri Palace, once home of the Emir of Qatar, surrounded by a courtyard of palm trees.Desktop Version
Float on
Float on
We’d like to trade our usual Monday morning experience in for this one, please. Welcome to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. The festival continues through October 14, with plenty of on-the-ground entertainment beyond those balloon rides that might take you east of the city, to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, seen in this photo. Many hot air balloon rides offer a champagne toast as part of the experience. The champagne tradition may have sprung from early balloon pilots having to land in farm fields on private property. Aeronauts began carrying champagne or other drinks with them to offer to the confused and sometimes angry landowners. You’re welcome to land in our backyard anytime, balloonists!Desktop Version
National Park Week: Canyonlands National Park, Utah
National Park Week: Canyonlands National Park, Utah
You don’t need a museum ticket to visit the Great Gallery at Canyonlands National Park, but you’ll want to bring your hiking boots. This remote archeological site in Utah is home to one of the most well known rock art collections in the country. Archaeologists believe that the pictographs here in Horseshoe Canyon (formerly known as Barrier Canyon) were produced sometime between 400 and 1100 CE, when nomadic hunter-gatherers roamed the desert. Pictured here is the Ghost Panel, named for about 20 life-sized figures that seem to hover above viewers.Desktop Version
The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
If this picture looks right out of Beatrix Potter"s world, we"d say you have a good eye for a story. In 1903, Potter published "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin," about a cheeky squirrel who taunts an owl with silly riddles until he pushes things too far—narrowly escaping with his life, minus a tail. Potter based Nutkin on the red squirrel, the only native squirrel species in the UK. The red squirrel population saw a steep decline here after humans introduced the larger nonnative Eastern gray squirrel in the late 1800s. But today in the UK, the red squirrel is a protected species, bolstering efforts to keep the gray numbers in check and preserve habitat. Estimates put the red squirrel population in the UK at fewer than 140,000, with the vast majority living in the woods of Scotland, like our little friend here.Desktop Version
A center of antiquity on the Mediterranean
A center of antiquity on the Mediterranean
This bird"s-eye view lets us take in the charms of Ortygia, a small island just offshore from Syracuse, on Sicily"s east coast. Ortygia is considered Syracuse"s "old town" and the historical heart of the city. Two bridges cross the narrow channel that separates Ortygia from Syracuse. Ancient Greeks first colonized this island in the 8th century BCE, and the town is brimming with 2,700 years of history. Walk Ortygia"s web of narrow streets and you"ll see Greek and Roman ruins, medieval Norman buildings, and examples of Baroque architecture as well.Desktop Version
Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
Illuminated by the setting sun on Yosemite"s famous El Capitan is a rare natural phenomenon known as the "Firefall," which appears for just a few weeks a year. From mid to late February, the sun is at just the right angle to set Horsetail Fall aglow, but only if sufficient water is flowing and the sky is clear. Even then, the Firefall only lasts for about 10 minutes in the evening, so vantage points can be very crowded.Desktop Version
Swimming into the season
Swimming into the season
This aquatic candy cane is called a banded pipefish. You won"t find it at the North Pole or on your Christmas tree, but in the tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific region, from Australia and Japan to the Philippines and South Africa. It"s in the same family as the seahorse, and like its cousin, the pipefish has plates of bony armor covering its body. This gives it protection, but a rigid body (like a candy cane!), so it swims by rapidly fanning its fins. Also like the seahorse, it"s the male pipefish—not the female—who carries the eggs. After an elaborate courtship dance, the female deposits her eggs in the male"s brood pouch, where they develop until the male gives birth. We"re not making this stuff up, but we can"t vouch for the theory that the red-and-white banded pipefish has a minty taste.Desktop Version
North Cascades National Park at 50
North Cascades National Park at 50
You’ve heard of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks–but here’s a lesser-known destination to add to your national park bucket list. North Cascades National Park celebrates its 50th anniversary today. Located about 100 miles northeast of Seattle, and stretching up to the Canadian border, it"s surrounded by two national recreation areas and other protected lands, including several national forests and wilderness areas, and by Canadian provincial parks in neighboring British Columbia. Despite all of this stunning wilderness, North Cascades National Park isn"t nearly as busy as the big-name parks, and that can be a good thing. Here you’ll find the most extensive system of glaciers in the lower 48 states—more than 300 glaciers. It’s the glaciers that lend a lovely turquoise hue to freshwater lakes, like Ouzel Lake on today’s homepage. The 500,000-acre park also boasts spectacular wildlife, alpine forests, and waterfalls. See you there?Desktop Version
Fall color sweeps across the West
Fall color sweeps across the West
The leaves are changing across the West, and few views are more striking than this one of the fall foliage in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the shadow of Chimney Rock. The spire and its neighbor Courthouse Mountain dominate the landscape here year-round, but the changing colors make this area—and drives along the nearby Million Dollar Highway—even more scenic in the fall.Desktop Version
A crested partridge
A crested partridge
Our moodily lit crested partridge is a female. Though her plumage includes vibrant green and copper, the male sports the red crest that gives the bird its most common name. Unless you travel to the biogeographic region of Southeast Asia known as Sundaland, you may have to head to your local zoo to get a glimpse of this bird. But don’t look for it up in the trees--the crested partridge prefers to walk, not fly.Desktop Version