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Happy Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day!
All across the United States on July 4, we come together as a nation to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In it, the Second Continental Congress put Great Britain on notice that the 13 American colonies were no longer subject to its laws and instead had formed a new country, the United States of America. Declaration signers, recognizing the importance of the moment and the message, anticipated that generations later we would remember and celebrate "from one end of this continent to the other." The celebration we"re looking at here is in San Francisco, where crowds traditionally gather at various spots along the waterfront area to take in the annual fireworks display over the bay.Desktop Version
A bridge too Fawr
A bridge too Fawr
How much quaintness can be crammed into one picture? We"re pushing the limits with this verdant summer scene in North Wales, looking across the River Conwy from its east bank in the town of Llanrwst. Past the Pont Fawr (Big Bridge) in the foreground, the shrubbery-shrouded cottage dubbed Tu Hwnt I"r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) seems to sprout straight from the grass. Built in the 15th century as a farmhouse, it"s now a traditional Welsh tearoom serving up scones to locals as well as visitors bound for nearby Snowdonia National Park.Desktop Version
An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we"re turning our attention to this vessel setting sail from Honolulu. It looks like a sailboat at sunset, accompanied by a group of rowers. But this is actually the Hōkūle"a, a replica of a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe, as it departs in May 2014 for a three-year "Mālama Honua" voyage to circumnavigate the world. The Polynesian Voyaging Society, which organizes the expeditions of the Hōkūle"a, explains that "Mālama Honua" means to "care for our Island Earth." As they sail around the world, they"re discovering and sharing local and Indigenous wisdom in a bid to help overcome the world"s current challenges.Desktop Version
Winter solstice
Winter solstice
The whole Northern Hemisphere will experience the winter solstice today, but the farther north you get, the more obvious it"ll be. In high-latitude areas like here in Siberia, the sun"s arc cuts especially low across the sky as winter sets in. Today, this spot near the city of Raduzhny will barely get five hours" daylight.Desktop Version
Art in the high desert
Art in the high desert
The desert doubles as an art studio this week at Arches National Park in Utah. Painters from all over are congregating here for the annual Red Rock Arts Festival. This Moab-based event is a celebration of what the French call painting "en plein air," or painting outside. Sounds like a fabulous idea to us (and what a view!). The colorful landscape here at Arches National Park is home to the highest density of natural arches in the world—upwards of 2,000—as well as hundreds of pinnacles and dramatically balanced rocks. Combine that with the fiery sunsets, pinyon trees, and splashes of sage and yucca, and we"d say these artists are in for a treat. Lucky for them, October is one of the most pleasant times of year to visit.Desktop Version
Land of the midnight sun
Land of the midnight sun
Here we are in the land of the midnight sun, just after the summer solstice. These days of seemingly endless sunlight are especially dramatic here at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall on the south coast of Iceland. The famous waterfall is less than a two-hour drive from Reykjavik, Iceland"s capital city. Intrepid explorers, hopefully kitted out in good traction shoes and raincoats, can explore the walkways behind and surrounding the raging walls of water.Desktop Version
Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
An unlikely tree stands amid the seemingly endless dunes of the Rub" al Khali desert in the Arabian Peninsula. The Rub" al Khali, meaning "Empty Quarter" in Arabic, is a vast sea of sand. Spreading across 250,000 square miles, it"s the largest area of continuous sand in the world, covering most of southeastern Saudi Arabia, with smaller portions in Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. One of the driest places on Earth, almost no one lives in the Rub" al Khali, and much of the desert remains unexplored. Some of the dunes tower more than 800 feet, and the depressions in between—called sabkhas—can be so soft that vehicles, camels, and people can easily become stuck.Desktop Version
Cross this bridge if you dare
Cross this bridge if you dare
Superstition abounds on Prague"s Charles Bridge, dating back to its construction in 1357. Builders laid the original bridge stone on July 9 at exactly 5:31 AM, the year, date, and time represented by a precise set of numbers that formed a palindrome: 135797531 (or 1357 9, 7 5:31). The sequence, which reads the same backward and forward, is carved onto the stones of the Old Town Bridge Tower at the east end of the bridge and was believed to bring a kind of magical strength to the structure. But the superstition didn"t stop there. The bridge was also constructed in perfect alignment with the tomb of Saint Vitus and the setting sun on the equinox. A more recent superstition involves the statue of the revered Saint John of Nepomuk that stands on the bridge—according to folklore, rubbing the plaque at the base of the statue will grant you a wish.Desktop Version
Four Sisters, thousands of trees
Four Sisters, thousands of trees
You"ll find this wintry, sylvan scene on the slopes of Mount Siguniang, the tallest summit of the Qionglai Mountains in southwest China. Its name, which translates as "Four Sisters Mountain," is inspired by the local Tibetan legend behind its four distinct peaks. According to the story, four sisters saved their people using a magic mirror to turn themselves into the mountain to imprison the devil. The tallest peak, named "Peak of the Youngest Sister," stands at 20,500 feet and is an extremely challenging climb—it"s rarely attempted and wasn"t summitted until 1981. The national park includes three valleys flanking the mountain and is part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to giant pandas, the sanctuary is home to the red panda, the snow leopard, the clouded leopard, and between 5,000 and 6,000 species of plants.Desktop Version
Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
There are at least 27 private reserves along the shores of Utah’s Great Salt Lake. This one, owned by the Nature Conservancy, stands in a marshland that’s an important rest stop for birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway path. The Pacific Flyway runs from Alaska all the way down to Patagonia in South America. It’s one of four major north-to-south migration routes for birds. Nature preserves like this keep important points along the flyway intact and undeveloped.Desktop Version
Life in the slow lane
Life in the slow lane
In observance of Manatee Awareness Month, we"re swimming through clear, aquifer-fed spring waters in Florida with two friendly "sea cows." Generally solitary animals, manatees are also known to be curious and will approach boats. That"s why Florida enforces special speed zones for watercraft, particularly as the manatees are on the move to warmer areas to spend the winter. While manatees have no known natural predators, they remain a vulnerable species due to loss of habitat and collisions with boats. These two have arrived in Three Sisters Springs, a natural freshwater spring system in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. The refuge protects critical habitat for the hundreds of manatees that migrate here each winter.Desktop Version
What’s blooming in New Zealand?
What’s blooming in New Zealand?
Lupines—or "lupins" as they"re generally called here in New Zealand—usually hit peak bloom around mid-to-late November in the Mackenzie region of the South Island. This image shows the burst of color along the shores of Lake Tekapo, famed for its annual lupin blooms. The colorful carpets of purples, pinks, blues, and whites along waterways and roads look stunning, drawing tourists to the area, and locals appreciate the economic benefits that come with these visitors. But lupins hail from North America, and in New Zealand, they"re considered invasive species that crowd out native flora, ruining the habitat for birds like the wrybill, banded dotterel, and other species that live along the waterside.Desktop Version
It’s National Walk to Work Day
It’s National Walk to Work Day
Every year approximately 4,000 pairs of emperor penguins trudge across the frozen landscape to reach Snow Hill Island, turning this snowcapped island off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula into a crowded breeding colony. While there, the male penguin’s job is to carefully guard the egg his mate has laid, and make sure it stays warm enough so the chick inside can hatch. If your job doesn’t take you to a snow-covered Antarctic island, then why not celebrate by observing National Walk to Work Day today?Desktop Version
A bridge comes full circle
A bridge comes full circle
If residents of Aarhus, Denmark"s second-largest city, feel like they"re going around in circles, then it might have something to do with this wooden walkway. The Infinite Bridge, or "Den Uendelige Bro" to locals, is about 200 feet in diameter. It forms a perfect circle overlapping the sand and sea, offering sweeping views across Aarhus Bay and along the tree-lined beach. Designed by Danish architects Niels Povlsgaard and Johan Gjødes, it was originally constructed as a temporary display in 2015 for the city"s Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. But the never-ending pier proved so popular, the city now opens the bridge to circular meandering each spring and summer.Desktop Version
National Park Week: Everglades National Park
National Park Week: Everglades National Park
You’re looking at a satellite view of Florida’s Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. It’s not a static wetland, but rather a ‘river of grass,’ a slow-moving river 60 miles wide and 100 miles long. Keep zooming in and you’ll likely see sawgrass marshes, mangrove trees, tropical birds, and a gator or two. Among the myriad interesting things about this unique and fragile ecosystem—it’s the only place in the world where American alligators and American crocodiles co-exist. How do you tell the difference between the two? Well, you see one later and the other after a while. (See what we did there?)Desktop Version
Corjuem Fort in Goa, India
Corjuem Fort in Goa, India
Corjuem Fort, built in 1705 by Portuguese colonists, was abandoned in 1894 but never demolished. It is now a protected historical site in Goa, India, and during the right time of year, Corjuem can look like it"s being eaten by the forest.Desktop Version
Mountain goats
Mountain goats
Elusive mountain goats, like these three in Canada"s Yukon Territory, rarely let themselves be discovered as plainly as this. Despite its name, the hooved wild mountain goat is not a true goat—in fact, it"s the only genus and species of its kind in the world. Found only in northwestern North America, its closest relatives aren"t domestic goats, but the chamois of Europe and the goral and serow of Asia.Desktop Version
The tortoise and the finch
The tortoise and the finch
That’s a type of Darwin’s finch perched atop a giant tortoise on Isabela Island, the largest of the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos form an archipelago more than 500 miles off the west coast of the South American mainland, and the islands are home to many species found nowhere else on earth. The bird is named, of course, for Charles Darwin, the naturalist who traveled here in 1835. His observations of several finch species and other wildlife endemic to the Galápagos contributed to his theory of natural selection, which he documented in ‘On the Origin of Species,’ a book that’s considered a cornerstone of biology. It was first published on this day in 1859.Desktop Version
Nazaré Lighthouse
Nazaré Lighthouse
Instead of Surfin" USA, today we"re Surfin" Portugal—though if you shout a reverential "cowabunga" at these colossal waves, we"re sure the locals will get your meaning.Desktop Version
Travel Sunday: On the Ganges in Varanasi, India
Travel Sunday: On the Ganges in Varanasi, India
These floating candles are part of the Ganga Aarti ceremony, a nightly Hindu ritual here in Varanasi, which is a holy city for followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, all of which are ancient religions of India. Tourists join congregants who gather at the river’s edge as practitioners make offerings of light to the goddess Ganga, the river’s namesake. In addition to Varanasi’s religious significance, this diverse city in North India also draws tourists for its ornate temples, silks, and archaeological sites.Desktop Version
‘The mountains are calling’
‘The mountains are calling’
Mountains matter—that’s the message from the United Nations for International Mountain Day, observed on December 11. More than half the world’s population relies on mountains for fresh water, food, and clean energy. When mountain ecosystems are threatened by climate change and land degradation, it endangers not just plants and animals, but also the people who depend on mountains to survive. Here at Mount Kilimanjaro, viewed from Chyulu Hills National Park in neighboring Kenya, the peak’s shrinking glaciers and ice fields are being closely monitored by scientists.Desktop Version
Spring comes to the Diablo foothills
Spring comes to the Diablo foothills
Spring rains carpet the rolling foothills of Northern California"s Diablo Range in emerald green this time of year. Just past the sprawling suburbs of the East Bay region, the Diablo foothills become a sylvan playground for horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, and simply escaping into nature. Grasslands and oak savannahs cover the low ridges that gradually rise into the higher peaks of the range, and at the crests of the foothills, a visitor is granted panoramic views of the ridgeline to the east. Aside from the green grasses, springtime brings a profusion of wildflowers to the area, including poppies, daffodils, and lupines. It"s also nesting season for the many birds of the region, like the peregrine falcons that build nests high in the vertical rock formations here known as Castle Rock.Desktop Version
Construction workers resting above Manhattan
Construction workers resting above Manhattan
For Labor Day, we’re going way back to the 1930s, during the construction of New York City’s RCA Building, better known today as 30 Rockefeller Plaza, or simply ‘30 Rock.’ While many of us will spend the weekend grilling, working, or maybe even napping like these workers (hopefully not 800 feet above the ground, though), it’s worth noting the origins of this holiday. Labor Day was established in the late 19th century, by trade unionists who proposed a day to honor the contributions of the labor movement. However you labor, and however you spend your day, we hope it’s a pleasant one.Desktop Version
A walk among the giants
A walk among the giants
On New Zealand"s North Island, Whakarewarewa Forest is home to a diverse range of native plants and animals. There"s also a series of lakes as well as hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and even active geysers. But Whakarewarewa Forest features something that no other forest in New Zealand can claim: a stand of majestic redwood trees called the Redwood Memorial Grove. The redwoods were introduced from their native California at the beginning of the 20th century.Desktop Version
We have liftoff!
We have liftoff!
The Wright brothers documented the first sustained flight in a powered, controlled aircraft on this day in 1903. That historic achievement was the result of single-minded perseverance, study, and experimentation. The brothers had spent more than a dozen years designing, engineering, constructing, and tweaking various test craft, including groundbreaking work done on the glider shown here. Orville Wright snapped this photo of the plane as it’s piloted by his brother Wilbur, gliding down the slope of Big Kill Devil Hill in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in October 1902.Desktop Version