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Jun 12, 2019A big birthday for Big Bend

Seventy-five years ago today, on June 12, 1944, Big Bend officially became a US national park. The park covers more than 800,000 acres in West Texas along the Mexico border. The vast protected area contains mountain, river, and desert ecosystems, including the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. But the ‘big’ doesn"t stop there. Big Bend is home to 1,200 species of plants, over 450 species of birds, 75 species of mammals, and 56 species of reptiles. (We"re not sure how many of those are snakes, if you"re wondering.) Because of its remote location, Big Bend also has among the darkest skies ever measured in the contiguous US. So tonight, the only light you"ll likely see is the glow from 75 birthday candles—and a few million stars.Desktop Version

Jun 1, 2018In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day

Come ashore in time to celebrate Samoa’s independence today! Ruled by New Zealand since 1914, Samoans eventually came to resent colonial authority, which many considered ineffectual and oppressive. A non-violent independence movement started gaining popular support beginning in the late 1920s. By Jan 1, 1962, Samoa became the first small-island independent nation in the South Pacific. These days, Samoans celebrate their freedom today, June 1. We hope those rowers in the canoes are back in time for the party.Desktop Version

Sep 18, 2020Homeward bound

Each September in Iceland brings the arrival of réttir, the annual sheep roundup. After spending spring and summer grazing in the hills and meadows of the Icelandic countryside, the nation"s many sheep—all members of a distinct breed—are brought home to their ranches to avoid the harsh winter weather. It"s not an easy task—ranchers and Icelandic sheepdogs endeavor to bring the often stubborn sheep in, and then they must sort them so they go back to their respective owners. When the sheep are all secure at their home ranches, people customarily celebrate with music, dancing, drinks, and food. In recent years, the event has attracted tourists interested in seeing this collaborative undertaking in action, but of course, even in the Icelandic countryside, social events like réttir celebrations will be a bit more subdued this year.Desktop Version

Apr 22, 202050 years of Earth Day

For Mother Earth"s big day, we"re shining the spotlight on a tree known as "Father of the Forest," or Te Matua Ngahere in the Maori language. This giant kauri tree lives in the Waipoua Forest of New Zealand"s North Island. At more than 1,500 years old and more than 52 feet around, it"s one of the oldest trees in New Zealand and one of the largest. It"s long been revered by the Maori, and is protected by Maori elders.Desktop Version

Mar 19, 2021Life carries on, rising from a ship s skeleton

We"re on the northeastern coast of Australia in a small bay of Magnetic Island, looking down upon the sunken hull of the steamship SS City of Adelaide. The vessel got its start in 1863 as a passenger steamship ferrying travelers and cargo between ports in Melbourne, Sydney, Honolulu, and San Francisco. Under sail, it was likened to a graceful bird in flight. In 1912, the City of Adelaide was gutted by fire, and in 1916, its burned hulk ran aground here in Cockle Bay while being transported after sale. Now it serves as an artificial island of sorts to a flock of cockatoos who live in the mangroves that have sprouted from the ship"s rusted deck.Desktop Version

Jul 31, 2018Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day

The wildlife ranger in today’s homepage image is conducting a bird census in the rainforests of a rare ecosystem in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. Modern-day park rangers perform a variety of tasks in their jobs, and it can be dangerous work. A ranger in the savannahs of Africa may track and apprehend poachers, while rangers in North America might brave harsh conditions to collect valuable data about the health of our forests, waters, and the critters that inhabit those places. So today, World Ranger Day, we honor the rangers who have died or were injured in the line of duty. The important work they do helps us better understand and appreciate the wild world around us.Desktop Version

Jul 19, 2021Wander the ancient medina

This colorful alleyway is in the medina—the ancient part—of the Moroccan city of Tétouan. From above, the medina appears to be a maze of traditional white plaster buildings surrounded by rampart walls and seven magnificent gates. But inside the maze, some alleyways like this one display a burst of color, an embellishment created by mixing pigments into the buildings" plaster. The passageways here are tall and skinny, large enough for a donkey and its handler to pass by, but too small for vehicles, so they invite peaceful strolls through the colorful shade.Desktop Version

Nov 21, 2020Headed to the High Country

Sometimes the transition from fall to winter is an abrupt one—as demonstrated by these pristine, colorful leaves seemingly frozen in time. The cold might convince you we"re enjoying a customary leaf-peeping tour of frigid New England—but we"re hundreds of miles farther south.Desktop Version

Feb 19, 2020Flocking together in the Antarctic

These birds are a few days late for Valentine"s Day, but they look like they"re in the mood for love. Wandering albatrosses (also known as snowy albatrosses, white-winged albatrosses, or goonies) live mostly on the open ocean but come on land for mating season. A salt gland located above their nasal passages allows them to desalinate and survive drinking only salt water as they feed on small marine animals. They can float on the sea surface and glide for hours.Desktop Version

Jan 10, 2020League of Nations, 100 years later

For the anniversary of the League of Nations, we"re in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Palace of Nations. The LN was founded on January 10, 1920, after World War I. It served as an international diplomatic organization until World War II, when it gradually lost support and was eventually replaced by the United Nations. The Palace, built to be the LN"s headquarters, has served as UN headquarters in Geneva and hosts diplomats for thousands of meetings every year.Desktop Version

Dec 27, 2020Turning darkness into light

Winter illuminations are a big deal in Japan and there is perhaps no bigger display than the one here at Nabana no Sato, a flower park in the gardens of Nagashima Spa Land in Kuwana, Japan. This image is just a glimpse of what awaits you in the park. More than 8.5 million LED lightbulbs illuminate pathways, trees, and the park"s famous "Tunnel of Lights." Can"t make it for the holidays? No worries. While many of Japan"s light displays end after the new year, this one lasts from mid-October through early May. And if not this year (hello pandemic), maybe next?Desktop Version

Oct 25, 2018A silent witness to history

About 25 miles southwest of Rouen, on the way to Paris, the ruins of Château Gaillard still stand over the Seine River. King Richard I commissioned the castle in 1196, when England occupied portions of modern-day France. The English and French fought for control of the castle for roughly 400 years—a span including the Hundred Years War—before Henry IV of France ordered it demolished. Today, the outer walls—called baileys—are open to the public year-round, while the inner baileys are open during summer months.Desktop Version

Jul 27, 2018Composite image of a lunar eclipse

Tonight, a total lunar eclipse will be visible around many parts of the globe, but not in North America. (We’re disappointed too, but we can get through this together.) For an eclipse to qualify as ‘total’ the moon must pass through the middle of the Earth’s shadow, casting a reddish pall over the entire visible surface of the moon. Since we in the US will miss tonight’s eclipse, we’re sharing this composite photo that shows the total lunar eclipse that occurred on January 31, 2018.Desktop Version

Sep 2, 2018Row, row, row your gondola

History comes alive on the Grand Canal of Venice for the Regata Storica di Venezia, an annual event marked by pageantry, tradition, and of course—boat races. The 2018 regatta, which occurs today, will include a parade with Venetians in historical dress and plenty of gondolas, which once served as the city’s primary means of transport. (What a way to travel!) Visitors will see the canals packed with boats of all shapes and sizes as the city celebrates its seafaring culture.Desktop Version

Mar 26, 2020Gray days ahead in Monterey

If you need another reason to visit Big Sur in California, we have a whale of a reason for you. In late winter and early spring, thousands of gray whales, many with calves in tow, swim by this part of the Pacific coast as they migrate from the warm waters of Baja California to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. Come winter, they pass by again on the swim south. The entire round-trip route clocks in at about 12,000 miles, making gray whales among the longest migrators of the animal kingdom. Because they travel close to the coastline, it"s also one of the few whale migrations you can see from shore.Desktop Version

Jan 14, 2020Going head-to-head with winter

Muskoxen are built to chill. These animals can endure, even thrive, in some of the harshest conditions on Earth—the Arctic winter. Their long, wiry outer coat covers a soft and thick inner layer, called qiviut, that keeps them toasty even as temperatures plummet. When winter ends, the muskoxen shed this undercoat, which is collected and spun into yarn that"s warmer than sheep"s wool and softer than cashmere—pricier, too.Desktop Version

Jun 23, 2021Light show in the forest

You might be crashing the biggest party in Japan"s least populous region. Each summer, fireflies turn this forest in rural Tottori prefecture into their own glitzy nightclub. There"s no telling which fireflies are the males in this shot, but be assured they"ll spend mating season trying to flicker their way into the females" hearts.Desktop Version

Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds

We"re at the northernmost tip of Mallorca"s rugged Cap de Formentor, a 7-mile-long slab of rock that"s home to one of the most picturesque lighthouses on the Mediterranean Sea. Built atop this Spanish island in 1863 at 689 feet above sea level, the beacon still shines (by solar power now), protecting ships from the rocky coastline below. The wild and rugged Cap de Formentor is accessible by a twisty road that offers incomparable views along the way—including several beautiful beaches and, since 1929, the Hotel Formentor, a glamorous icon for Mediterranean jetsetters. During its heyday in the mid-20th century, the hotel was a destination for celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Today, the cape is less known for its star-studded past and more for protecting and conserving its natural and unspoiled beauty.Desktop Version

Jun 2, 2018Happy 50th for the National Trails System!

Next time somebody tells you ‘take a hike,’ you tell ‘em you did, and it was for a good cause. Today is National Trails Day, and we’re on the South Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. The National Trails System in the US turns 50 this year. Want to pay your respects to a trail you love? Take a hike and do your best to leave it better than you found it—pack out any trash you may find or join a trail improvement project—the point is to get out there and give back some of the love you get from hiking trails.Desktop Version

Jun 4, 2021Islands that turned the tide

Pictured here are Eastern Island and Spit Island, the two smallest of the three islands in the Midway Atoll, located about 3,200 miles west of San Francisco and 2,500 miles east of Tokyo. The atoll was formed as a shield volcano roughly 28 million years ago. Over the millennia, the volcanic island subsided under the sea but the coral reef encircling it has maintained itself and protected the atoll"s three, low-lying islands (Sand Island, not shown in our photo, is the third).Desktop Version

Apr 17, 2020It s a ruff life

Native to forests rich in aspens and poplars across Canada and the US, ruffed grouse are nonmigratory birds who spend their entire lives in the same area. This one"s posing for us in the forest of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Depending on the habitat they"re in, their feathers can range in color from gray to red as a means of camouflage to protect themselves from predators. They get their name from the ruff of dark feathers on their neck. Despite being primarily ground-dwelling birds, ruffed grouse can be quite the acrobatic fliers when needed. They excel at flying in short spurts and are skilled at making sharp twists and turns when navigating through thick deciduous forests. How"s that for beauty and brawn?Desktop Version

May 19, 2020Loud waters

Roaring Fork may seem like a misnomer for this mountain stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During dry spells, it"s a gentle brook. But Roaring Fork descends 2,500 feet over just 2 miles—a steep drop down Mount Le Conte. When heavy rains swell the stream, Roaring Fork transforms into a whitewater rush, with the sound of the surging water echoing off the sandstone walls of the mountain.Desktop Version

May 12, 2018It’s World Migratory Bird Day

Every traveler needs a place to rest from time to time. In the case of the snow goose, that place needs to be very large. Snow geese travel in flocks of hundreds, sometimes thousands, as they travel north to their springtime breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra. They stop along the way to rest and forage, relying on places like Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in New York, where our homepage image was photographed. World Migratory Bird Day, recognized on May 12, highlights the need to protect habitat for winged travelers like these.Desktop Version

Sep 14, 2021Behold the mighty Aldeyjarfoss

In waterfall-dense Iceland, it says something that Aldeyjarfoss is considered one of the most beautiful sights in the country. Fed by Iceland"s largest ice cap, the 65-foot fall is flanked by distinctive hexagon-shaped basalt columns seemingly carved by some Norse god.Desktop Version

May 28, 2019Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?

You might recognize our homepage friend from the logo of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, an annual US competition since 1925. Why’s it called a spelling bee? Because another meaning of ‘bee’ is any kind of gathering or meeting for collective work or competition, like a quilting bee or, yes, a spelling bee. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held this week in National Harbor, Maryland, and savvy spellers from grade schools and middle schools around the world will compete for top honors.Desktop Version

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