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A hidden jewel in Croatia
A hidden jewel in Croatia
Today we"re walking out into the winter wonderland of Plitvice Lakes National Park, the oldest and largest national park in Croatia. More than a million tourists per year flock to this central mountainous region, renowned for its cascading waterfalls and 16 turquoise-colored lakes. These wooden pathways meander for miles around and above the lakes, beside waterfalls and over streams and rivers, which disappear into the moss-covered earth only to burst through again somewhere downstream. In fact, the lakes are all interconnected by underground flows and are separated from each other by natural dams of travertine.Desktop Version
Flying high on National Bird Day
Flying high on National Bird Day
On National Bird Day, we"re looking at two red-fronted macaws. These birds are endangered, but they"re not hard to find at the Red-Fronted Macaw Nature Reserve in Bolivia, where this picture was taken. They"re easiest to spot during breeding season, which runs from November to May, and they usually fly in pairs or larger groups. National Bird Day is observed on January 5, which coincides with the end of the Christmas Bird Count—a citizen survey that looks at native bird populations in the US. National Bird Day puts the focus on birds around the world, especially those threatened with extinction due to the pet trade, habitat loss, and climate change.Desktop Version
The monsoon arrives in the desert
The monsoon arrives in the desert
Lightning strikes are common during the summer monsoon in southwestern US states and northwestern Mexico. In Arizona and New Mexico, powerful thunderstorms roll in most every afternoon from early July until mid-September. Here, in the Sonoran Desert north of Tucson, Arizona, severe weather over saguaro cactus makes for a dramatic scene.Desktop Version
Celebrating National Dentist Day
Celebrating National Dentist Day
If ever there was a perfect mascot for National Dentist Day, celebrated on March 6, it’s the crab-eating macaque. This individual was photographed cleaning its teeth in Malaysia’s Bako National Park. Crab-eating macaques are native to Southeast Asia and they have a proclivity for using tools to forage, eat, and even practice dental hygiene. Scientists have observed them using blades of grass, fibers, and feathers to floss between their teeth. Give this macaque a gold star!Desktop Version
Embracing the cold
Embracing the cold
We’re in St. Paul, Minnesota, for day seven of the Winter Carnival—an 11-day celebration of all the fun you can have during the cold winter months. In 1885, a journalist from New York who had visited St. Paul called it ‘another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.’ This news prompted the people of St. Paul to create the Winter Carnival, which debuted in 1886. When the temperature is cold enough, carnival organizers build a massive ice palace, whose ice-block walls frame the Landmark Center clock tower in our photo today.Desktop Version
A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia
A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia
Australia’s southern coast is leafy seadragon territory, so it’s the place to go if you want to see the camouflaged critter in its native habitat. This amazing specimen was photographed near Wool Bay. The leafy seadragon has evolved to resemble seaweed as a way to fool predators. It’s a relative of the seahorse, but isn’t quite the swimmer that its cousin is, so the camouflage gives it a big advantage.Desktop Version
The Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve in Siberia, Russia
The Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve in Siberia, Russia
At 5,530 square miles, the Lena Reserve is one of the largest protected lands in Russia. This is a ‘false-color’ image of the massive Lena River basin, taken by the Landsat 7 satellite. The colors were created by capturing infrared, shortwave infrared, and red wavelengths—the combination of light waves enhances the view of various topographical features. The Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve is home to numerous vital bird species, and various terrestrial wildlife adapted to the rugged Siberian wilderness.Desktop Version
The rainbow connection
The rainbow connection
April showers bring rainbows, and on April 3, the celebration of Find a Rainbow Day. The rainbow shown here is at Victoria Falls in southern Africa on the Zambezi River, at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Scottish explorer David Livingstone named the falls in honor of Britain"s Queen Victoria, though it"s also still called by its indigenous Lozi language name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means "the smoke that thunders." According to some historical records, local villagers described the falls to Livingstone as "Seongo" or "Chongwe," which means "The Place of the Rainbow," since rainbows usually appear in the constant spray. Under a bright moon, the falls will produce a "moonbow."Desktop Version
Halo around the sun
Halo around the sun
What do you call a rainbow formed by ice? An icebow, of course. Others call the phenomenon a halo, and we"ll admit it does have a mystical aura. Halos can occur when ice crystals suspended in the air refract light into a colorful ring around the bright sun. That"s what"s happening in the cold atmosphere here in the Ore Mountains along the Czech-German border. It"s a perfect complement to the snow angels you"re yearning to make in this pristine blanket of white.Desktop Version
The fantastic winter fox
The fantastic winter fox
Animals have many adaptations for winter weather, such as migration, hibernation, and growing thick fur. For the small but mighty Artic fox–the change in seasons means changing colors. Its thick fur coast transitions from brown and gray to a snowy white as a form of camouflage when colder temperatures arrive at its tundra habitat. Other animals that turn white in winter include the snowshoe hair, and several species of weasel–but we’re partial to this noble-looking fox. Stay warm, buddy!Desktop Version
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
The world’s largest equine sculptures, The Kelpies were built in 2013 in Falkirk, Scotland, as a tribute to the country’s horse-powered industrial heritage. Designed by sculptor Andy Scott, each steel statue is 100 feet tall and weighs more than 330 tons. They’re named for the kelpie spirits of Scottish folklore—shape-shifting water creatures said to favor the shape of a horse, but also thought to take human form.Desktop Version
Napping away New Year s Day
Napping away New Year s Day
This mountain hare is starting the year off right. It"s used to cold weather and high altitudes—and, since it"s nocturnal, it"s perfectly comfortable sleeping through an afternoon snowstorm in northeast Scotland. On New Year"s Day, humans in the US are more likely to be found in their natural habitat, the couch, dozing off or perhaps watching one of the college football bowl games on TV. Some more ambitious folks might be getting a jump on their New Year"s resolutions and exercising. First Day Hikes are part of an initiative led by state parks, with hundreds of free guided hikes offered in all 50 states. That sounds great, but maybe a little later. Right now, we think the hare has the right idea.Desktop Version
Atop the Needle of Chamonix
Atop the Needle of Chamonix
With these dramatic clouds, the shardlike pinnacles of the Aiguille du Midi (Needle of Midday) resemble the spires of a ruined Alpine cathedral. This is just one of the many spectacular peaks of the Mont Blanc massif, the storied Alps range in eastern France that stretches across the border into Italy and Switzerland. It was here in France"s Chamonix valley that mountaineering became a sport in the mid-1700s. This dramatic peak was first summited in 1818, a feat that helped to popularize mountain climbing throughout Europe.Desktop Version
Field of Light at Sensorio by Bruce Munro
Field of Light at Sensorio by Bruce Munro
Artist Bruce Munro was camping at Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) in Australia in 1992 when he envisioned the art installation on today"s homepage. Titled "Field of Light," it"s currently on display at a venue called Sensorio in Paso Robles, California, the latest stop in a tour of sites around the world. At Sensorio, a new arts center that bills itself as representing "the intersection of art, technology and nature," visitors will find 58,800 solar-powered spheres, lit by optical fibers, that change color. When the sun sets, the fibers illuminate, creating a shimmering, interactive landscape in the meadow. The art installation changes a bit at each site, but Munro tells reporters, "The one constant is that it does make people smile."Desktop Version
Earthrise on Moon Day
Earthrise on Moon Day
Only two dozen people have ever personally witnessed the Earth rising over the lunar surface: the crews of Apollo 8 through 17. Those 24 astronauts are also the only humans to leave low-Earth orbit and see the "dark" side of the moon—and only 12 of them walked on its surface.Desktop Version
A Christmas market with a long history
A Christmas market with a long history
We think even Scrooge would delight in the Frankfurt Christmas Market, or Christkindchesmarket (gesundheit!), a tradition that’s been traced back to 1393. Here you can shop for goods from artisans, binge on marzipan candies, and sip a warm cup of mulled wine. Locals can even shop for Christmas trees, a tradition that is said to have originated in this part of the world. The modern Christmas tree tradition as we know it started in the 15th and 16th centuries in northern Germany and Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia). It’s believed the Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the first to add lighted candles to an evergreen. Sidenote: That had to be a fire hazard, right?Desktop Version
To Sua Ocean Trench
To Sua Ocean Trench
This majestic swimming hole on Samoa"s Upolu Island sits just inland from the coast. It was formed when the roof of an ancient lava tube collapsed, exposing the 98-foot-deep teal-blue pool. This is the largest of many such tide pools and blow holes formed in the area thousands of years ago. An underground cave system connects this swimming hole to the nearby ocean, and the water rises and falls with the tides.Desktop Version
These laurels are hardy
These laurels are hardy
Go back 15 million years and you"d find most of Southern Europe looking like this fantasy forest: thick, scrubby underbrush canopied by wizened laurel trees. An epoch or two of human agricultural advances cleared those ancient woods, but patches persist on a few temperate Atlantic islands—especially here on Madeira, a Portuguese-held island off northwest Africa.Desktop Version
Once in a pink moon
Once in a pink moon
We"re seeing a vivid "pink moon" rise above St. Michael"s Mount—a granite-encrusted isle connected to the rugged peninsula of Cornwall, England, by sandy flats and a man-made causeway that submerge at high tide. The same order of monks that established France"s Mont-Saint-Michel built a church and priory here in the 12th century. In ensuing centuries of war, the insular monastic outpost was fortified into the imposing castle we see today. Privately purchased in 1659, the mount was opened to the public in 1954—and is still managed by members of the family that bought it over 350 years ago.Desktop Version
Celebrate International Women’s Day
Celebrate International Women’s Day
On the day before the 2017 celebration of International Women’s Day, the statue called ‘Fearless Girl’ was unveiled in the Financial District of New York. Staring down the ‘Charging Bull’ statue with resolute defiance, ‘Fearless Girl’ immediately resonated with people around the world as a symbol of women taking positions of leadership. The statue was initially meant as a temporary installation, but many have called for her to become a permanent fixture.Desktop Version
The Zugspitze: Germany s highest point
The Zugspitze: Germany s highest point
Welcome to the snowy Bavarian Alps, where the mountain called the Zugspitze (TSOOG-shpit-seh) casts a cold shadow over the Eibsee, a small and serene alpine lake. Situated on the border with Austria, the peak is Germany"s highest point at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, towering over the lakeside village of Grainau.Desktop Version
What does the fox dream?
What does the fox dream?
We"re sure you could just squeeze this snoozing Arctic fox like a stuffed animal, but we wouldn"t advise it. These cute little fuzzballs can be ferocious hunters. In fact, the Arctic fox is one of the most prolific predators on the tundra, preying on lemmings, voles, rabbits, birds (often with a side of eggs), and other small critters that cross its adorable path. But right now, our Arctic fox is happy to curl up with its tail and get some shut-eye—by forming a ball with its body, the fox is exposing the least possible surface area to cold air, helping to conserve heat no matter how low the mercury dips.Desktop Version
A crane for good luck in today’s big game
A crane for good luck in today’s big game
It’s Super Bowl Sunday and this Japanese crane looks like it’s getting into the spirit of things. Also known as the red-crowned crane, the species is among the rarest cranes in the world. It’s known in some cultures as a symbol of luck and longevity, making it an ideal football mascot. This particular crane seems to have a pretty good punting leg, to boot. Other animals that have served as good luck symbols around the world include the pig, the mandarin duck, and the albatross. Do you have a good luck charm?Desktop Version
Once upon a time there was a bridge…
Once upon a time there was a bridge…
Although this stone bridge, known as Saut de Brot, looks right out of a fairy tale, it serves a very practical purpose. It connects walking trails on each side of the Areuse Gorge, offering safe passage to hikers exploring the lush Brot-Dessous area in western Switzerland, a predominantly French-speaking region of this multilingual country. It"s not known when the bridge was built exactly, though it"s thought to be a recent construction. But if that"s true, how do we not know who built it? All this mystery leads us to suspect it"s the work of helpful gnomes and fairies living deep in the Swiss woods. The end.Desktop Version
Take the stairs
Take the stairs
If you want to celebrate Take the Stairs Day in style, look no further than China"s Tianmen Mountain (literally Heaven"s Door). About 5,000 feet above sea level, the hole in the mountain is the highest naturally formed arch in the world. Originally a cave, it became an arch in 263 CE when the back side of the mountain collapsed, creating the dramatic opening we see today. You"ll have to climb 999 steps to make it to the top, but we promise the view is worth it.Desktop Version