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Sep 1, 2021It s National Mushroom Month!

Is it just us or does this porcini mushroom look straight out of a fairy tale? We"re featuring this sweet "shroom today because September is National Mushroom Month, a non-official holiday inaugurated in 1992 as part of a governmental effort to promote mushroom farming in the US. Some of the biggest celebrations this month occur in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, which is recognized as the Mushroom Capital of the World. The town of just 6,000 people cultivates around 500 million pounds of mushrooms each year, about half of the total US crop.Desktop Version

Jan 10, 2022Ski touring in Austria

The High Tauern mountain range above the Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein is one of many regions around the world that attract brave ski-touring enthusiasts, like the three skiers crossing the ridge here. Ski touring is a sport for only the most skilled athletes since it usually involves navigating remote alpine territory and climbing with mountaineering gear, generally without removing your skis.Desktop Version

Apr 27, 2019Aloe in bloom

The bright flowers of these aloe plants offer a striking contrast to their more recognizable green, spiky stems. Native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, aloes—including the well-known aloe vera species—are now grown outdoors in many locations that boast mild winter climates. They can bloom at any time throughout the year. And yes, even indoor potted aloes can be encouraged to bloom with the right amount of sunlight, water, and fertilizer.Desktop Version

Sep 5, 2018Salmon migration in full swing

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you may get a chance to view migrating salmon this fall. For the sockeye salmon shown here, the epic journey takes them from the waters of the Pacific Ocean back to the freshwater lakes and streams where they were born. There they’ll spawn, their bodies turning from a silvery blue to crimson and changing shape in the process. This isn’t always an easy journey. Dams and other human interventions have affected salmon runs, and West Coast salmon numbers have been in decline. We’re fans of groups like Long Live the Kings, a Pacific Northwest nonprofit that’s helping rebuild salmon populations and protect their habitat—for the long run.Desktop Version

Oct 16, 2021Unearthing a queen s lost tale

Almost 3,500 years ago under Queen Hatshepsut"s reign, Egypt enjoyed decades of peace and flourishing culture, and this elegant temple is just one piece of her larger-than-life legacy. But the pharaoh who succeeded Hatshepsut forbade all mention of her rule, taking credit for her monuments and leaving her name all but unknown for millennia.Desktop Version

Mar 29, 2021Rising up from the black sand like rock gods

Any visitor to Iceland knows that driving the Ring Road rewards the traveler with incredible changing landscapes. Today, we"re taking a quick detour to visit this chiseled stretch of Iceland"s southern coast, where black sand beaches meet spiky basalt sea stacks. This is Reynisfjara Beach, widely considered the most beautiful example of Iceland"s black sand beaches. The sea stacks fronting the beach are known as Reynisdrangar and were formed when a volcano erupted, spewing flowing lava that cooled into these formations. Ask the locals how they formed, however, and you may get a different story, one involving trolls and a battle with a three-masted ship.Desktop Version

Jul 22, 2020Wildebeest on the move

Each year, as many as 1.5 million blue wildebeest move through the Serengeti region of eastern Africa, traveling in a roughly 800-mile loop through Tanzania and Kenya as they chase lush, green grass and fresh water. When resources are depleted in one area, the animals move to another. Late summer often finds them in Kenya"s Maasai Mara National Reserve, shown on today"s homepage. The speedy wildebeest (the species can run up to 50 mph!) is not alone in its journey; hundreds of thousands of zebras, gazelles, and elands accompany the herd. The great number of animals makes this phenomenon one of the largest land migrations on Earth, often called the World Cup of Wildlife.Desktop Version

Mar 19, 2023Barn owl, England

Barn owls, distinguished by their white heart-shaped faces, are one of the world"s most widespread birds, found on every continent except Antarctica. They live in woodlands, farms, and on cliffs, but barn owls also enjoy roosting in places like bell towers and barns—hence the name. They are nighttime predators that fly over open lands to hunt rats and mice. During heavy rain, they are unable to hunt because their feathers aren"t waterproof, leaving them vulnerable to starvation during long periods of wet weather. Although some see them as a symbol of wisdom and fortune, their haunting cries and ghostly appearance mean they have often been seen as bad omens in rural areas.Desktop Version

Dec 1, 2021Antarctica Day

At just over 600 miles from the tip of South America, Cuverville Island is closer to civilization than most of Antarctica. As such, this small isle off the northward-jutting Antarctic Peninsula is a hotspot for tourists to catch some cool scenery (while freezing their butts off, of course). Visitors can also chill on the rocky beach with the locals: a glut of gentoo penguins whose rookery here is the largest along the peninsula.Desktop Version

Jul 24, 2021Can you see the family resemblance?

In honor of Cousins Day, we"re hanging out on a limb with these four Javan tree frogs in Indonesia. Tree frogs are smaller than your average terrestrial frogs because they spend the majority of their lives perched in trees, and their weight must be fully supported by twigs and leaves. At the rounded ends of their froggy fingers and toes are disc-shaped adhesive pads that help them to maneuver about on trees. While most tree frogs (there are 800 species all over the world!) are green, brown, or gray, these Javans are bright and colorful. This is so they can blend into their jungle environs and avoid notice by predators such as snakes, spiders, bats, and owls.Desktop Version

Jun 6, 2020The long and wiggling path

In 1926, Walter Ruesch, the first superintendent of Zion National Park in Utah, oversaw the construction of this section of the Angels Landing Trail, one of the park"s most ambitious trails. Although he had no previous engineering experience, Ruesch planned the steep 21-switchback path out of Refrigerator Canyon up to Angels Landing. The section of the trail, now affectionately called Walter’s Wiggles, was first built to enable horses" access to Cabin Spring. One of the most difficult and dangerous sections of the Angels Landing Trail, Walter"s Wiggles was resurfaced in 1985 in a project that required 258 helicopter flights to haul in concrete for the job.Desktop Version

Jul 3, 2020Dog days of summer

The weather is warmer, and the days are longer, which can only mean one thing—the dog days of summer have arrived. These Cape foxes are helping us celebrate the dog days with their frolicking in the Kalahari Desert. They may not be the kind of "dogs" you typically think of, but Cape foxes are from the same family (Canidae) as the pooches you know and love. Partly to escape the heat in the desert scrubland it prefers, the Cape fox is most active just before dawn or after dusk, commonly spotted during the early mornings and early evenings.Desktop Version

Nov 13, 2019Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré

Today"s image captures Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa in action, surfing a record 80-foot wave off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. Nazaré began attracting surfers in the 1960s and has since become a major destination for men and women who want to surf some of the world"s biggest waves. Nazaré"s Praia do Norte (North Beach) is the site of the two latest records for largest wave ever surfed. The previous record was set by American Garrett McNamara on November 1, 2011, when he rode a 78-foot wave here. Then, on November 8, 2017, Koxa set a new record with this ride.Desktop Version

Nov 7, 2021Mack Arch Rock

Much of the Oregon coast is characterized by colossal rock formations, known as sea stacks, jutting dramatically out of the Pacific. The sea stacks you see here run next to a grassy promontory in the southern part of the state that overlooks a mostly inaccessible stretch of coastline.Desktop Version

Feb 27, 2020Three cheers for polar bears!

February 27 is International Polar Bear Day, an observance created to bring attention to the important role these alpha predators play in the Arctic ecosystem. Though polar bears aren"t endangered—their current conservation status is "vulnerable"—these magnificent beasts have become a sort of mascot for the race to slow the melting of Arctic sea ice. The Arctic ice is crucial to the bears" survival, as they hunt the ringed seals that bob up through holes in the ice. As Arctic ice decreases, the polar bears" hunting ground does too.Desktop Version

Sep 4, 2019Social climbing

March 2019 saw the opening of a structure called "Vessel" that overlooks the Hudson River in New York. "Vessel" is a 16-story, honeycomb-looking staircase that’s meant to be climbed. Its 154 flights of stairs are interconnected, much like Indian stepwells, which lent inspiration to designer Thomas Heatherwick. Not to worry. For those who would rather skip the 2,500 steps, they can reach the top via elevator.Desktop Version

Jul 3, 2019Keep calm and drive on (slowly)

Following its winter closure due to heavy snowfall, the Transfăgărășan in Romania is now open for business. Also known as the DN7C highway, the road cuts through the Făgăraș Mountains, offering stunning views of waterfalls, glacial lakes, and lush valleys—plus steep drop-offs and hairpin turns to amp up the drama. Back in 2009, Jeremy Clarkson, co-host of the British TV show "Top Gear," called this twisty route the "best road in the world," which helped turn it into a major tourist draw. The Transfăgărășan reaches elevations just shy of 6,700 feet and has more tunnels and viaducts in its 55 miles than any other road in this mountainous country. But proceed with caution. The speed limit is a sensible 25 mph. And watch out for herds of sheep that use it as a path to greener pastures, and don"t mind blocking traffic as they amble there.Desktop Version

Sep 28, 2020Explorer of the sea

This blue shark is swimming near the Azores, a Portuguese chain of islands about 850 miles west of mainland Portugal. The inspiration for the shark"s name comes from its back color, which can vary from a light blue to a darker shade. Its slender, tapered body is propelled through the water with agility and grace by a long tail fin that sweeps from side to side. Listed as "near threatened," blue sharks are found off the coast of every continent except for Antarctica, making them the most widely distributed of all sharks. Swift and powerful swimmers, blue sharks migrate long distances. It"s common for them to swim 1,200 to 1,700 miles or even farther, following the clockwise currents of the Gulf Stream in search of food, mates, and "just right" water temperatures.Desktop Version

Mar 11, 2021Welcome to the drainpipe of the Pacific

We are standing here on the craggy Oregon coast looking out to Thor"s Well with the help of a photographer"s telephoto lens. Only the most daring of visitors would get this close to the gaping sinkhole at high tide. One misstep combined with a forceful surge from the raging Pacific Ocean, and into the plunging well we"d go.Desktop Version

Jul 12, 2022Bay Marker Lookout, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia

It"s an easy, circular trail to the Bay Marker Lookout, but you have to make it under your own steam—sorry, no cars allowed. This is one of the five Sydney Olympic Park Markers, cone-shaped earth mounds installed for the 2000 Olympics in Australia. They are cleverly placed to look from the air like the Australian flag"s Southern Cross. From the ground, the Bay Marker gives a stunning full-360-degree view of Wentworth Common—a large grassy park—and the larger Olympic Park and stadium. You can also look over Homebush Bay (the community and the body of water) to the north. It"s a dramatic melding of urban landscape, the city skyline, the wetlands and greenery, rivers, and beaches.Desktop Version

Jan 20, 2022Penguin Awareness Day

Let"s hear it for our poster penguin on Penguin Awareness Day. This cheerful specimen is an Adélie penguin, a species commonly encountered along the coasts of Antarctica this time of year. Breeding season for these birds begins by October, when they gather in colonies of thousands, coupling off and constructing nests made of stones.Desktop Version

Jan 2, 2023Hohenzollern Castle near Stuttgart, Germany

For the charming Hohenzollern Castle, the third time really was the charm. Constructed on the top of Hohenzollern Mountain in the 11th century, the castle was largely ruined by a 10-month siege in 1423, only to be rebuilt a few decades later. It then served as an important strategic stronghold before again falling into disrepair. In the 19th century, King Frederick William IV of Prussia, best remembered for his commitment to building great works across Germany, had a new castle built on the grounds, replacing almost all the 15th-century construction. Today, Hohenzollern Castle is an open-air museum that hosts more than 350,000 visitors per year, making it one of the most-visited castles in Germany.Desktop Version

Dec 1, 2020Giving Tuesday

These common terns sharing a fish have the right idea for today, which is Giving Tuesday. Held annually on the Tuesday after the US Thanksgiving, the global movement serves to encourage acts of generosity during the holidays, when consumerism seems to be the focus for so many. Giving Tuesday was founded in 2012 by New York"s 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. Originally observed only in the US, it"s grown into a worldwide celebration of generosity promoted by a newly independent organization. There are several ways you can participate: Donate to the cause of your choice, volunteer your time, or just do something nice—even sharing a fish counts.Desktop Version

Sep 28, 2018Southern right whales sail home to South Africa

Each year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and early spring months (June through November), southern right whales migrate from the far Southern Ocean near Antarctica to the coast of South Africa to mate and calve. Their tendency to swim in shallow waters near the shore—and their curiosity around boats—delight tourists here, and has made the town of Hermanus, South Africa, an international whale-watching hot spot. The town even employs its own ‘whale crier,‘ who sounds a horn when a sighting is made. Today marks the start of the Hermanus Whale Festival, a celebration of these mighty migrants.Desktop Version

Oct 27, 2018Don’t get lost in there

Look closely at today’s homepage picture and you might spot some adventurous folks searching for the way out of this elaborate corn maze in Northern California. Corn mazes—known as ‘maize mazes’ in the UK—are a popular fall-time tradition that allows for much creativity. A Massachusetts farm draws visitors to its Tom Brady tribute maze, designed to look like the Patriots quarterback throwing a football. And a farmer in Illinois built a 6.5-acre maze shaped like a vintage Indy 500 race car. We’re still holding out for a corn maze inspired by search engines. Anyone game?Desktop Version

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