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Saskatchewan s spookier side
Saskatchewan s spookier side
If you"re greeted by a friendly face and a warm "Welcome to Bents" as you stroll up to this old general store, you might be having a paranormal experience: It"s been 50 years since a living soul dwelt in this Saskatchewan ghost town.Desktop Version
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
In the Supertree Grove
In the Supertree Grove
Every August 9, the streets of Singapore fill with revelers celebrating the anniversary of the city-state"s independence from Malaysia in 1965. Like patriotic events in other nations, Singapore"s National Day features parades, speeches from political leaders, and fireworks. This year also marks the 200th anniversary of the first British colonial outpost in what would become modern-day Singapore.Desktop Version
When in Rome...celebrate Saturnalia
When in Rome...celebrate Saturnalia
We"re looking at the Temple of Saturn, one of the oldest structures of the Forum in Rome. It was here that ancient Romans began their celebrations of Saturnalia, which started on December 17. Both the temple and the festival are dedicated to the agricultural god Saturn, whose reign was associated with a golden age of prosperity and peace. Saturnalia festivities kicked off with a sacrifice at the temple, followed by a public banquet and a week of general merrymaking. Activities included gambling, eating, drinking, and playing music. Businesses and schools closed, and even slaves were free from work and allowed to participate in the festivities. Many Saturnalia customs evolved into Christmas traditions, such as gift giving, decorating homes with wreaths, and drinking spiced wine.Desktop Version
Combating extinction with citizen science
Combating extinction with citizen science
Just as every human has a unique set of fingerprints, each zebra has a subtly different pattern of stripes–and that trait is proving valuable in a new conservation effort. A nonprofit conservation project called Wildbook utilizes crowdsourced photos to identify and track individual animals that belong to threatened species. But it doesn’t just identify zebras. The effort extends to whale sharks, manta rays, giraffes and more. This new technology provides a non-invasive way to study the species over time. We’re fans of the project, especially since it helps friends like our Grévy"s zebra, which is endangered.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
World-class art comes to Arkansas
World-class art comes to Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas, is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think about visiting a world-class art museum. But Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a new must-see in the art world. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, photography, drawing, and installation art from colonial times to today and features American artists such as Maya Lin, Andrew Wyeth, Jacob Lawrence, Jackson Pollock, and Georgia O’Keeffe. But perhaps the biggest piece of art is the museum itself. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the building blends seamlessly and beautifully into the surrounding Ozark landscape. In addition to the art and architecture collections, there are eight nature trails on the grounds. And admission to the museum is always free.Desktop Version
Basking in the glow
Basking in the glow
Norway may not be top of mind for most sun seekers, but around the middle of May until late July, head north to the part of the country inside the Arctic Circle and you can experience a natural phenomenon known as the midnight sun. During these few months the sun is visible at midnight local time, like you see in today"s image of Norway"s North Cape. Of course, as nature strives to maintain a balance, during winter this region experiences polar night, when the sun never rises above the horizon.Desktop Version
Not your average sandcastle
Not your average sandcastle
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, so of course we’re heading to the beach—the city beaches of Valencia, Spain. Valencia is famous for its beautiful, golden sand beaches, where people build incredible sand sculptures, like this one on Malvarrosa Beach. An elaborate sand sculpture can take over a week and multiple people to build. In fact, the world’s tallest sandcastle reached over 50 feet into the sky. But if you’ve got the time, sand, and water, you too can build a cool sandcastle.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
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
Don’t look down
Don’t look down
It"s Swiss National Day, and the citizens of Switzerland are taking the day off. They’re celebrating the 1291 confederation of regional cantons that led to the formation of their country. The nation first celebrated this milestone 600 years later, in 1891, but the day wasn’t declared an official holiday until 1994. Perhaps the Swiss are able to summon that level of patience as they cross the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge in the Alps near the village of Randa. At 1,621 feet, the bridge is currently ranked the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. It’s also pretty high–at one point along the span, brave crossers are 279 feet above the ground. Just keep moving forward and maybe yodel a bit to distract yourself…Desktop Version
In the Most Serene Republic
In the Most Serene Republic
Though some of the details of the founding of San Marino vary depending on who is telling the story, what"s certain is that in the 4th century CE, a stone mason built a Christian chapel on a hill near the Mediterranean coast and founded the settlement that would share a name with Saint Marinus. Over the centuries European nations grew, shrank, and changed—but San Marino remained, ultimately bordered on all sides by Italy. Today, this tiny nation, sometimes called the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, celebrates 1,718 years of existence and its continued status as the world"s smallest republic—24 square miles of quaint European charm embedded in Italy"s northeastern region.Desktop Version
Tiny fliers head south
Tiny fliers head south
The ruby-throated hummingbird in today"s homepage image is snacking on some yellow bells in the Texas Hill Country, preparing for its long journey south for the winter. This time of year, the hummingbirds leave the northern latitudes of the eastern US and Canada, migrating to the warmer climes of Mexico and Central America. Along their route, many will cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single 500-mile flight, which can take 18-22 hours of nonstop flying at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Tiny but fierce, the ruby-throated hummingbird weighs less than a nickel. It beats its wings about 53 times a second on average, but during courtship the wingbeat rate increases to 200 times per second, the fastest of any bird.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
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
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
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
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
Wedded Rocks, Japan
Wedded Rocks, Japan
Just off the shore of Futami, in the southern-central region of Japan"s main island, Honshu, two rocks represent a sacred union between a divine couple. Known collectively as Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks), these sea stacks represent Izanagi and Izanami, the married brother-and-sister deities who created the islands of Japan and its gods in Japanese mythology. The large rock on the left is said to be the husband, Izanagi, and at its peak is a small torii, a symbolic gateway marking the entrance to a Shinto shrine. The smaller rock represents his wife, Izanami.Desktop Version
Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York
‘Kolonihavehus, 2010’ is a public artwork in Brooklyn Bridge Park, across the East River from Manhattan. The piece is made of scrap Plexiglas that artist Tom Fruin salvaged locally. The park’s 85 acres reclaimed and revitalized a stretch of Brooklyn’s East River bank, with sweeping views of Manhattan, just across the water.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
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
Green fields of grain
Green fields of grain
We"re looking down on the lush fields of the Sidemen Valley, sitting in the shadow of Bali"s tallest mountain, Mount Agung. In May, this Indonesian province marks the end of the harvest season of a key staple—rice. Towns and villages are decorated with colorful flags, and farmers erect shrines to Dewi Sri, the rice goddess. Small handmade straw dolls depicting the goddess are left here and there in further tribute. Before "social distancing" entered the global vocabulary, people came together to share traditional food and indulge in fun and games, like water buffalo races through the streets. This year, to be sure, the celebrations will be more subdued, more private, though the gratitude for a bountiful harvest, we suspect, will be just as deeply felt.Desktop Version
A day for our oceans
A day for our oceans
To celebrate World Oceans Day, we"re swimming through a shoal of jack fish just off the coast of Baja, California, in Cabo Pulmo National Park. This Mexican marine park in the Sea of Cortez is home to the northernmost and oldest coral reef on the west coast of North America, estimated to be about 20,000 years old. Jacks are clearly plentiful here, but divers and snorkelers in Cabo Pulmo can also come across many other species of fish and marine mammals, including several varieties of sharks, whales, dolphins, tortoises, and manta rays.Desktop Version