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Summer huts in winter
Summer huts in winter
We"re getting chilly just looking at these snow-covered beach huts in England—and that cyclist slogging through the white stuff. But in the summer, these huts in Brighton and Hove (neighboring towns that share a local government) are in major demand. You can"t stay in them overnight, but they give you a place to change your clothes and stash your belongings, which makes a day at the beach less messy and generally more pleasant. The seaside resort area is also known for attractions like Brighton Palace Pier, which offers amusement park rides and fast food, and the i360 tower, which takes visitors 450 feet up for a 360-degree view across Brighton, the South Downs, and English Channel.Desktop Version
Winter in England s Cotswolds
Winter in England s Cotswolds
The Cotswolds region is well known by Brits as a sleepy summer getaway, a day-trip destination for rambling through rolling pastures and charming villages while sampling delicious local produce. But in winter, this rural landscape takes on a new character when snows blanket the countryside.Desktop Version
Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Let"s explore the Taj Mahal, on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. This ivory-white marble mausoleum was commissioned in 1631 by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, to honor his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.Desktop Version
Behold the mighty Aldeyjarfoss
Behold 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
Happy New Year! (Again!)
Happy New Year! (Again!)
For the first day of the Chinese New Year, we’re showing the southern fortification of the Xi"an City Wall as it was decorated and lit up for last year"s lunar new year party. The south gate was rebuilt in 2014 and is often used to stage the fireworks show that rings in the Chinese New Year, which falls between late January and early February. Why a different new year celebration date? It comes down to the sun versus the moon: While the widely used Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth"s rotation around the sun, the lunar calendar is marked by the phases of the moon. So, the Gregorian new year always falls on January 1, while the lunar new year date moves around from year to year. Either way, we"re excited to have another excuse to throw a party.Desktop Version
Panda Day
Panda Day
There"s just something comforting about giant pandas. They"re stoic but look cuddly, and their unusual black and white markings make them distinctive. Pandas are one of the animals we recognize from an early age. But while we may take them for granted, they"ve been under threat from shrinking habitats and food supply as people harvest bamboo and build roads and train tracks through their forests. National Panda Day on March 16 spreads awareness about these beloved bears and encourages us to safeguard their future.Desktop Version
It s a ruff life
It 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
What the hay?
What the hay?
Is it harvest time where you live? Perhaps growing up you spent this season bucking hay with your family. If you’re not familiar with the practice, it involves stacking hay bales that weigh up to 150 pounds–-often throwing them up onto higher levels. These days, farmers use sophisticated machinery to handle many aspects of hay production. The round, uniform bales of hay shown here in the fields of Tuscany were likely produced by a baler machine. And the round shape, while not as easy to maneuver as the rectangular style, is more resistant to moisture, which can damage a crop. Happy harvest!Desktop Version
Trunks stick together
Trunks stick together
In honor of Cousins Day, we"re looking at a pair of African elephants who seem to have nothing but love for each other. Elephants are matriarchal, meaning they live in female-led groups. The matriarch—usually the biggest and oldest female—leads an extended family group that includes aunts, sisters, and their young, so a given herd is likely to be full of cousins.Desktop Version
Here s looking at you
Here s looking at you
This bright-eyed burrowing owl is emerging from its burrow just in time to enjoy the sunset here in Northern California. And yes, you read that right—it’s a burrowing owl. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls nest and roost underground, often in tunnels abandoned by ground squirrels or prairie dogs. It"s one of many traits that make the pint-sized species unique among owls. Burrowing owls live in grasslands, deserts, or other open dry areas with low vegetation. When threatened, they retreat to their burrows and are known to frighten off predators by mimicking the rattling and hissing sounds of a rattlesnake. And while most other owls sleep during the daytime, burrowing owls are often active in the daylight hours. It"s as if they didn"t finish proper owl training.Desktop Version
Loud waters
Loud 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
On the lookout for Sheep-Cote Clod
On the lookout for Sheep-Cote Clod
You"re looking at one of the oldest breeds of sheep in the world. Icelandic sheep are descended from short-tailed sheep brought to the island from Norway in the 9th and 10th centuries with the first waves of settlers. These sheep, with their dual-layer woolly coats, thrive in this harsh environment, outnumbering people in Iceland by more than 2-to-1. But on December 12, Icelandic sheep, especially the ewes, will have to contend with something more fearsome than the wind chill factor. Sheep-Cote Clod, the first of the 13 Yule Lads, is due to visit. Who"s that and what"s he up to? Take our quiz to find out.Desktop Version
Celebrating all things Austen
Celebrating all things Austen
Bath, in southwestern England, was the first home Jane Austen knew away from her tiny village when she moved here at about age 25. Though the author only lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806 and did little writing here, no doubt this spa city on the River Avon gave her inspiration. After all, Bath was a popular resort at the time for Britain"s upper crust—the posh, mannered society types whom Austen satirized so wittily in novels like "Pride and Prejudice."Desktop Version
Total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse
Put on your solar glasses and turn your eyes skyward. Today, you can witness a rare celestial event—a total solar eclipse! As the moon perfectly aligns between the Earth and the sun, daylight will shift eerily to twilight. The total solar eclipse will be visible across North America, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to eastern Canada"s Newfoundland Island, for up to four and a half minutes between 10:57 AM PST and 4:47 PM ADT. It will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States since August 21, 2017, although one occurs somewhere on Earth approximately every 18 months. Astronomers study the sun"s corona, which is the outermost part of its atmosphere, its magnetic fields, and the behavior of Earth"s atmosphere during the eclipse. Keep an eye on the time today and find a good spot to put on eclipse-safe solar glasses and see the golden ring emerge.Desktop Version
Provence blooms with lavender at Sénanque Abbey
Provence blooms with lavender at Sénanque Abbey
Lavender season is in full swing in Provence, and tourists are flocking to destinations like Sénanque Abbey to see the sweet-smelling spectacle of fields painted purple. The monks here at Sénanque cultivate lavender for their livelihood and these days the herb is in demand mostly for its essential oil, which lends a soothing scent to cosmetics, cleaning products, and even food. Lavender ice cream, lemonade, and cakes are popping up on menus around the globe.Desktop Version
Heron lies the Salton Sea
Heron lies the Salton Sea
Migratory bird species are predictable frequent fliers, taking to the sky to travel along roughly the same route, at the same time, every year. Following sources of food and water along the way, the birds often fly great distances to reach breeding grounds or places to spend the winter. Today, we"re looking at an important stopover for migratory birds—California"s largest lake, the Salton Sea.Desktop Version
Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
Why’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
Islands that turned the tide
Islands 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
Light show in the forest
Light 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
The scene of a literary crime
The scene of a literary crime
Remarkable enough in itself, this 800-foot mountain waterfall is also the site of one of fiction"s most enduring showdowns between good and evil. Just outside Meiringen, Switzerland, the Reichenbach Falls are the backdrop for "The Final Problem"—the 1893 Sherlock Holmes story where, on a precipice near the falls (which in the 19th century gushed with far more power than our recent image shows), the genius detective enters a death duel with the criminal Professor Moriarty. In the end, both men plummet to their presumed doom.Desktop Version
It’s World Migratory Bird Day
It’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
The meeting point of the winds
The 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
Headed to the High Country
Headed 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
Row, row, row your gondola
Row, 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
Going head-to-head with winter
Going 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