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Manatees rebound
Manatees rebound
We’re in Florida’s Blue Spring State Park for Manatee Awareness Month. As winter approaches, Blue Spring becomes a safe harbor for manatees, aka sea cows, looking for warmer inland waters. It’s also a protected area for the manatees, where they can eat and swim without fear of injury from boats. In fact, researchers identify many of the manatees in Blue Spring by the scars they bear from accidental boat collisions and motor blade cuts. Identifying individual manatees has been crucial to tracking the population rebound of this once endangered species. A 2016 census of manatees in Florida’s springs counted 6,250 of the large, surprisingly graceful beasts.Desktop Version
A lunar lantern celebration
A lunar lantern celebration
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is a celebration of the autumn harvest observed by the Chinese and other Asian peoples. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the full moon closest to the fall equinox. Originally a plea to the gods for rains to ensure a good harvest next year, Mid-Autumn Festival has become a more secular bit of autumn fun, with children and adults gathering to give thanks, eat sweet mooncakes, and light lanterns like the hand-painted ones we"re looking at here from a previous celebration in Singapore. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival coincidentally lands on another holiday, China"s National Day.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
A crush in Lavaux
A crush in Lavaux
The "crush season," aka the grape harvest, has arrived in these picturesque Swiss vineyards. The steeply terraced vineyards of the Lavaux region along Lake Geneva"s northern shore produce grapes for some of the best wine in the country. The vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007, Lavaux is the largest contiguous vineyard region in Switzerland. It"s known for producing Chasselas wine, a light, delicate white wine that"s considered the ideal pairing with Swiss raclette cheese. Visitors enjoy hiking between the vines and wine tasting at local cellars in the villages along the lakeshore. We"ll toast to that!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
Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
On May 8, 1945, thousands of people poured into the streets of Paris to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe. This photo of the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées was taken from atop the appropriately named Arc de Triomphe, looking east toward the distant Place de la Concorde and the Louvre. Victory in Europe (VE-Day) had come at last.Desktop Version
Ski touring in Austria
Ski 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
Hay, what s up?
Hay, what s up?
Whenever summer turns to autumn, the hay harvest is at the front of farmers" minds. To mark the change of season, we"re ambling through a hayfield full of beautifully rolled bales. This particular pastoral patch is in Jutland, the agrarian mainland of Denmark that "juts" into the North Sea. But if you could—hay presto—snap your fingers and teleport to any hayfield at sunset, you"d surely see similar neat rows of dry, amber-tinted grass.Desktop Version
American bison
American bison
For an American bison, winter is the season to slow down, plump up, and let your hair grow out. Relatable, sure, but these massive mammals get there without the aid of beer, chips, and a couch.Desktop Version
Let’s celebrate
Let’s celebrate
The citizens of Morton, Minnesota, are probably doing a repeat performance of this pyrotechnic display today as they join the rest of the US in a celebration of Independence Day. If you want to blow the minds of your family and friends at the barbecue, steer the conversation toward fireworks and casually drop this truth bomb: Gunpowder, the fuel that makes the fireworks explode, was invented in ancient China by Taoist alchemists who hoped to create an immortality elixir. That’s some dramatic irony, at least in hindsight. Be safe!Desktop Version
A Welsh wonder turns 70
A Welsh wonder turns 70
Here on the west coast of Great Britain, we"re enjoying views of the windswept uplands and jagged peaks that surround the small village of Capel Curig in the heart of Snowdonia National Park. Renowned for its rugged and mountainous landscape, Snowdonia is the largest national park in Wales and home to over 26,000 people and even more sheep—the wooly farm animals outnumber people 3 to 1 in Wales. About 60% of the park"s population speak Welsh, one of Europe"s oldest languages, and today they will be wishing this spectacular setting a "pen-blwydd hapus" (happy birthday) as Snowdonia celebrates its 70th anniversary.Desktop Version
Frost on autumn leaves
Frost on autumn leaves
You can almost hear frost-coated autumn leaves crunching under your shoes as you walk through the woods. Though the calendar says it"s still autumn, scenes like this highlight the colder temperatures as winter arrives in the Northern Hemisphere.Desktop Version
Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
Make way for the green sea turtle, which you’ll find—if you’re lucky—swimming in tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world. You’ll notice that despite its name, the green sea turtle’s shell is not green at all. The name comes from the color of its fat, which takes on a greenish hue after the adult turtle starts eating seagrass and algae. Unfortunately, like many other sea turtle species, the green sea turtle is endangered and its population shrinking due to hunting, boat-propeller accidents, plastic pollution, and loss of nesting grounds.Desktop Version
Installation art turns heads
Installation art turns heads
If you ever encounter a giant plastic snail in the city or an army of rainbow-colored meerkats holding sentry outside a historic building, it’s likely an art installation from the Cracking Art collective. The group uses recyclable plastic to craft vivid representations of meerkats, elephants, snails, and other natural creatures for traveling art installations in unexpected locations. The collective’s use of plastic is meant to call attention to the sometimes blurry connection between natural and artificial reality, inviting viewers to reexamine the world around them. The meerkat exhibit on our homepage took place in 2015 at Le Mans Cathedral in Le Mans, France.Desktop Version
A growing business
A growing business
Today we"re showing off a serene scene at a Christmas tree farm outside Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. If you were to visit a farm like this today, however, it"s unlikely you"d find much peace and quiet. Of the 25 million to 30 million natural Christmas trees sold each year in the US alone, 98 percent of them come from farms. "Tis the season for tree chopping. Oregon, home to the popular noble and Douglas firs, produces the most Christmas trees of all US states, shipping much of the harvest to California. North Carolina, of Fraser fir fame, comes in at No. 2. Canada is the world"s largest exporter of Christmas trees, spreading holiday cheer around the world.Desktop Version
Who s there? The largest owl in the world
Who s there? The largest owl in the world
To get us in the Halloween mood, we"re offering a seldom-seen sight—the Blakiston"s fish owl. Considered the largest of all living owls—about the size of a fire hydrant with a 6-foot wingspan—it"s among the rarest of owls, too. Experts estimate only a few thousand of these elusive birds remain, scattered in pockets of dense old-growth forests in northern Japan, the Russian Far East, northeastern China, and potentially North Korea.Desktop Version
First Cliff Walk
First Cliff Walk
When it comes to breathtaking mountain scenery, it"s difficult to top the village of Grindelwald in the center of the Swiss Alps, flanked as it is on all sides by towering peaks such as the Mannlichen, Faulhorn, and Wetterhorn. In winter, Grindelwald is home to one of the biggest ski resorts in Switzerland"s Jungfrau region, and even in the offseason there"s still plenty of adrenaline-inducing activity to be found here.Desktop Version
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
For Christmas Day, we"re taking in the winter views on Mount Khomyak in Ukraine"s Carpathian Mountains. The bright green moss and the red of the fallen leaves pop against the snowy white, as though the forest were transforming into a magical band of Christmas elves. While much of the Christian world celebrates Christmas on December 25, for those who follow Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions—including many Ukrainians—Christmas is still a couple weeks away. Eastern Orthodox Christmas celebrations are tied to the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the more universal Gregorian calendar, so Christmas Day in Ukraine will be celebrated on January 7.Desktop Version
It s Census Day—make it count
It s Census Day—make it count
It"s Census Day, and we"re marking the once-in-a-decade head count with this populous pic of nesting king penguins in Antarctica. You"re probably wondering: Shouldn"t this crowd of penguins be social distancing right now? A smart observation, but the new coronavirus actually hasn"t been observed in Antarctica at all (it"s the only continent with no cases), nor have birds been shown to spread it. So, we"re giving these avian gatherers a pass, but we encourage you to stay safe at home. With care and patience, we"ll get back to enjoying each other"s company just like these feathered friends.Desktop Version
Penguin Awareness Day
Penguin 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
Presidents hear the echo of history
Presidents hear the echo of history
On this Presidents" Day, we"re stepping back in time and behind the scenes at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. In this photograph, taken August 28, 2013, the giant marble statue of President Abraham Lincoln seems to be looking on approvingly as then-President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter walk to the stage for a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was during that march, of course, when civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of this memorial.Desktop Version
National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
Hidden below the prairie at Wind Cave National Park, you’ll find something unexpected: one of the longest caves on the planet. This site includes 140 miles of explored passageways. What’s above ground is equally special, as the prairie supports one of the most genetically pure herds of bison in the country.Desktop Version
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, an observance created by the United Nations to draw attention to the distinct cultures of indigenous peoples and to support measures that protect their rights. This year’s theme is indigenous peoples’ migration and movement, highlighting questions of indigenous identity and rights, particularly as people migrate within and between countries.Desktop Version
Barn owl, England
Barn 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
Mack Arch Rock
Mack 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