We hate to break it to you, but the affable grin on this pale-throated sloth is probably not evidence of its laid-back lifestyle. Our adorable tree hugger looks content thanks to its facial mask and the natural shape of its mouth. Spotting one of these slow-moving solitary animals takes a little skill. The thick outer layer of a sloth's coat is an ideal place for green algae to grow, forming a natural camouflage in the canopy of tropical forests here in northern South America.If you do spot a pale-throated sloth, it is likely it will be enjoying a simple meal of leaves, tree limbs and buds. Because sloths don't have incisors, they spend most of their waking hours smacking their lips together to 'chew' their food. This would drive most animals to starvation (if not culinary madness), but the sloth's metabolism is so slow that it has evolved to survive on less food.Let's take a cue from the sloth and slow down our own hectic lives during International Sloth Day on 20 October. Who knows, we might find smiles creeping across our own faces.
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It might look like the movie set for a Western, but this desert is not in Arizona or New Mexico - this is the Bardenas Reales, in Navarre, northern Spain. These lunar landscapes surfaced millions of years ago, when the inland sea that occupied this territory withdrew, leaving behind sediment that erosion then sculpted into amazing geological formations. This photo shows the “cabezo”, or head, of Castildetierra, one of the most well-known rock formations of this UNESCO-recognised natural park. The highest part of the column is made of hard sandstone and limestone, barely supported by soft clays that are gradually being worn away by the elements. Eventually these lonely hills will collapse, due to their own geological nature.
The Bond movie The World is Not Enough and TV series Game of Thrones were partially shot in the Bardenas Reales - and they have their own real-life stories to tell. In the Middle Ages, a bandit called Sanchicorrota was known as "the king of the Bardenas". He terrified the region’s authorities, attacking their castles only to disappear afterwards in the desert, leading a band of 30 men said to be like ghosts. Legend says they put their horses’ shoes on backwards, so their tracks would send any pursuers in the opposite direction.
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If we could dip down below those happy little clouds, we’d be on the bright blue waters of the Caribbean. And if we could dip down further below the surf, we’d be greeted by the Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest barrier reef on Earth (after the Great Barrier Reef). This Caribbean reef system covers 620 miles of the seabed and is home to one of the world’s largest manatee populations and a fair amount of the world’s largest fish: the whale shark.
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This giant space bubble is being blown by a massive star visible at the 10 o'clock position inside it. Already over seven light-years across and expanding at a rate of over four million mph, the ’bubble’ is actually the shock wave created when expanding hot gas (or stellar wind) hits the cold, interstellar gas that surrounds it. The Bubble nebula was discovered in 1787 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel. The star inside is living fast and will die young (for a star) - it will likely detonate as a supernova in 10 to 20 million years.This image was taken in 2016 by the Hubble Space Telescope to mark the 26th anniversary of Hubble’s launch into Earth orbit by the STS-31 space shuttle crew. We’re showing it to mark the last day of World Space Week, an annual ‘international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition’.
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The Cape May warbler was named after Cape May in the US state of New Jersey, where it was first observed by ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1811. After that, these birds weren't seen again in the area for more than a century. In spring, this warbler migrates almost 3,000 miles – from the West Indies to the coniferous forests in Canada and the northern US to breed. As this fist-sized songbird flies north, its diet adapts to the environment. During winter among palm trees, the Cape May drinks nectar thanks to its unusual semi-tubular tongue. But in summer in the boreal forests, it eats insects – especially the spruce budworm – with a special gusto.
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We're looking at Marlborough Sounds, a network of ancient sunken river valleys at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. It was 250 years ago that New Zealand was spotted by British explorer Captain James Cook from the HMS Endeavour. The main purpose of Cook’s voyage to the Pacific was to sail to Tahiti and observe the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun. Only after completing this task did Cook unseal the rest of his orders and learn he was to search the South Pacific for signs of a fabled great southern continent, Terra Australis Incognito.
This was a hypothetical southern landmass that European Renaissance geographers thought must exist in order to counterbalance the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Of course, Cook never found Terra Australis, but with the help of a Tahitian named Tupaia, who had extensive knowledge of Pacific geography, and armed with the previous findings of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman from 1642, Cook sailed on to New Zealand. There, he and his crew built upon Tasman’s work, becoming the first to circumnavigate and chart New Zealand's North and South Islands.
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This distinctive all-blue mushroom is home to New Zealand, although fungus enthusiasts can also find Entoloma hochstetteri in India. It’s bountiful enough on western parts of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand that it features in the artwork on the latest iteration of the $50 note, alongside the kōkako, a bird with a blue wattle that inspired the Māori name for this mushroom: werewere-kokako.
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We can’t all gather on the southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to watch the Perseid meteor shower tonight, but perhaps this amazing photo from that location will inspire you to head outside for a look at your own skies. Every August, debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle enters the Earth’s atmosphere, creating the ‘shooting stars’ of the Perseids. If you can, get away from city lights, find a safe spot outside, and let your eyes adjust to the dark for about 30 minutes. Look to the northern portion of the sky, or find the Perseus constellation, and you’ll start seeing streaks of light zipping across above you.
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If this misty wilderness looks a little familiar, it might be because it was the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood - the home of Winnie-the-Pooh. On this day 93 years ago, the first Pooh book was published and the beloved “bear of very little brain” went on to become a favourite with children across the world. It was here in Ashdown Forest, in East Sussex, that author A A Milne was inspired by his son Christopher Robin’s own adventures with his soft toys. The forest, which sits on the highest ridge of the beautiful High Weald landscape, includes a real-life Five Hundred Acre Wood as well as other spots that fans will recognise from the books.In real life there is more heathland than woodland in Ashdown Forest, whose name is thought to derive from its past as an ancient royal hunting ground. Heathland, characterised by heather, gorse and scattered trees, is a rare and important habitat for wildlife including the silver-studded butterfly, adders and birds like the nightjar and the Dartford warbler. So whether you want to try your hand at Pooh sticks and heffalump hunting or simply enjoy unspoilt views of wide open skies, rolling hills and ancient forest – there are plenty of adventures yet to be had in this corner of south-east England.
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While it didn't become a Unesco World Heritage site until 2018, Mount Fanjing (also known as Fanjingshan) has been a sacred and tranquil site for Buddhists for centuries. At 8,430 feet, Mount Fanjing is the highest peak of the Wuling mountain range in south-west China's Guizhou province. The mountain is believed to be a place in which one can reach their spiritual enlightenment. While many of the Buddhist temples built here have been destroyed, several remain, including the Temple of the Buddha and the Temple of Maitreya. Those two temples, linked by a small bridge, are located on top of Red Cloud Golden Peak, the rocky 'thumb' we're looking at here. In addition to the area's history, the mix of cloud, fog and light create a calming atmosphere and an air of mystery.
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If you can get away from the light pollution of cities and roads, it’s possible to see the Orion Nebula with the naked eye. Find Orion’s Belt in the constellation named for the mythic Greek hunter and you can see the fuzzy reddish and blue nebula. Your glimpse won’t be quite as detailed as this infrared image taken by the HAWK-I camera used by NASA, but at least now you know what to look for.
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Sea caves, also known as littoral caves, are found along coasts all over the world. They are formed primarily by the erosion of rock from wind and waves that attack weak spots in cliffs lining the shores of oceans and lakes. The sea cave on our homepage was photographed on the Isle of Skye. The scenic island in the Inner Hebrides is renowned for its natural beauty and home to some of Scotland's most dramatic landscapes.
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Visit California’s Yosemite National Park in February and you may be shoulder-to-shoulder with photographers hoping to get a shot of Horsetail Fall in the evening. When conditions are right, rays of the setting Sun align with the falling water to set the cascade ablaze with light – a natural display called the ‘firefall’. And in a bit of added mystique, Horsetail Fall itself is an ephemeral waterfall – it flows only for a short time in the winter and early spring.
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On Take the Stairs Day, take some inspiration from this mountain path in the Ninh Bình province of Vietnam. Or, just be glad you don’t have to climb it. The stone path at the Mau Caves includes 486 steps that were designed in the style of the Great Wall of China. At the top, you’ll find a small altar and panoramic views of the countryside. Plus, a feeling of achievement. We hope all this talk of stairs inspires you to skip the lift and take the stairs today – as that’s the goal of this annual observance.
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Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovebirds out there! Our featured birds today are grey crowned cranes that live in the savannahs and marshlands of eastern and southern Africa. While both males and females of this species will dance to attract a mate, they can be seen bopping at any time of the year, with young birds also joining the adults. Even two males may pose like this, while they size each other up as competition.
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The cathedral shown here dates back to 1181, but it is thought to be the fourth to stand on the site of St David's original monastery, founded by the patron saint of Wales in the sixth century. The shrine to St David was a popular place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages and deemed so important by Pope Callixtus II that two pilgrimages to St Davids were seen as equivalent to one to Rome and three were equivalent to one to Jerusalem.
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All is not as it appears to be here at the Pando, in Fishlake National Forest, in the US state of Utah. At first glance, visitors may think they are seeing a massive grove of quaking aspen trees, their leaves dancing in the wind. But the Pando is not many trees; instead, it's a single organism. Like many aspen groves, each of the 40,000 trees in the Pando are genetically identical stems that sprout from the same root system. First discovered in 1968, the Pando made waves in the scientific world. It's recognised as one of the heaviest known organisms - believed to weigh 6,000 tonnes - and one of the oldest known living organisms.Scientists estimate it is more than 80,000 years old, having endured the last ice age and countless forest fires. It has lasted this long partly because most of the organism is protected underground. So, while an individual stem can die, the organism as a whole survives. It's only recently that human activity has threatened the Pando’s health, with drought, grazing and fire suppression interfering with its growth. Pando translates as 'I spread out' in Latin, a reference to the way it extends itself through cloning. But its delicate, fluttering leaves - which turn golden at this time of year - have lent it another moniker: the Trembling Giant.
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The Gothic ruins of Tintern Abbey, in the picturesque Wye Valley at the Welsh border with England, have been captivating visitors for hundreds of years. Open to the elements, its towering walls and ornate windows have drawn tourists since the 18th Century – but it has been around a lot longer than that.The first Cistercian monks arrived here in 1131 but had to make do with more modest surrounds until 1269 when building work began on the abbey church itself. However, the magnificent building fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, when King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church in Rome and took over hundreds of monasteries and abbeys. Tintern Abbey was surrendered, its roof lead was sold off and it was left to fall into ruin. Two centuries later it got a second lease of life during the Romanticism movement, when its ivy-covered picturesque ruins proved a popular attraction for sightseers, poets and artists, including a young JMW Turner. Tintern Abbey is now a Grade I listed building and a Welsh national icon on the banks of the River Wye – still drawing visitors with an eye for majestic ruins in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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Tucked away on the north-east coast of Scotland lies a ruined medieval fortress steeped in history. Dunnottar Castle was the home of the Earls Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in Scotland, and is perhaps best known as where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish Crown Jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading English army in the 17th century. Surrounded by sheer cliffs 160ft above the North Sea, the surviving buildings are largely from the 15th-16th centuries, but the site is thought to have been originally fortified in the Early Middle Ages.
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The chrysanthemum, or kiku in Japanese, is considered the flower of autumn in Japan, with many festivals and shows taking place at this time of year when the flowers bloom. First cultivated in China as a flowering herb, it is a prominent icon in Japanese culture, where it even has its own holiday, celebrated on 9 September. The Imperial Seal of Japan – one of the national seals and a crest used by the Emperor of Japan and members of the Imperial Family – is a yellow or orange 16-petal chrysanthemum, which is also inscribed on the front cover of Japanese passports.
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Sixty-eight years ago today, on 17 April 1951, the Peak District became the UK’s first national park. The aim was to ensure public access to the open countryside and protect it from inappropriate development. Stretching into five counties but located mainly within Derbyshire, the park covers 555 square miles and has a mix of private and public lands. Within the park boundaries, you'll find towns, villages, historical sites and herds of cattle and sheep grazing in the lush hills. About 1,600 miles of hiking trails in the park traverse rolling hills, pastures and moors. Bonus for the thirsty hiker: the trails also pass by some of the best pubs in England. One popular trail is called the Pennine Way, a 267-mile route from Edale, in Derbyshire, to just inside the Scottish border.
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Stay in Canyonlands National Park until after sunset so you can appreciate one of the park's most distinct features – a night sky so free of human-generated light that it’s been designated a "gold tier" International Dark Sky Park. When you’re in the city you may see up to 500 stars in a moonless night sky, but here in Canyonlands, in the US state of Utah, you can see more than 15,000. Many of the stars (and planets) sparkle in the Milky Way, our galactic home in the universe. It’s a big reason why astrotourists and photographers visit at night, to see the light show above. But for those who follow the Sun, daytime is perfect for hiking and camping, wildlife viewing and discovering rock drawings and markings left behind by prehistoric people.
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Greetings from Glastonbury Tor and St Michael's Tower in Somerset. The tor (a Celtic word for an isolated hill) is often mentioned in Celtic mythology, and some believe it to be the site of Avalon, a mythical island central to legends of King Arthur. Glastonbury Tor has other enduring spiritual associations as well, particularly to various pagan beliefs. Archaeological evidence suggests that several buildings have been constructed at the top of the hill over many centuries, but all that remains today is the roofless tower of St Michael’s Church, built in the 1300s.Glastonbury Tor may dominate the surrounding coastal plain, but it isn't visible from the nearby Glastonbury Festival, which kicks off today. Since 1970, music fans have turned the Glastonbury area into an outdoor bacchanalian summer retreat as they converge on the area to watch some of the world's most popular pop and rock musicians perform live at the festival. Most summers, the farmland around the village of Pilton – including festival-creator Michael Eavis' Worthy Farm – is transformed into the largest greenfield festival in the world, with more than 100,000 people attending and camping in the area. In homage to the area’s most enduring feature, the festival's official artwork this year is a representation of Glastonbury Tor and its tower under a full moon, surrounded by red clouds.
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This photo offers an uncommon view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the coast of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico - it’s often shown in the bright Caribbean sunlight. In September 2017, Puerto Rico was devastated by the landfall of Hurricane Maria, which wreaked havoc on the landscape, people, and livelihoods of this US territory.While Puerto Rico continues to repair, rebuild, and return to normal two years after the landfall of Maria, other parts of the Caribbean have been damaged by subsequent storms. Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas particularly hard. That island nation sits north west of Puerto Rico, much closer to Florida.
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More than 5,000 metres above sea level in the Peruvian Andes rises the mountain peak of Vinicunca. Until recently, when a road was built through this remote region of southeastern Peru, it took hikers six days to reach the mountain. Plenty made the trek despite the effort, and we can see the draw: Vinicunca is also known as 'Rainbow Mountain' for good reason. Weathered minerals of varying hues stripe the hillsides in wide brushstrokes. The slopes are painted in tones of red, yellow, green and bright blue, with the colours changing intensity depending on the time of day or pattern of cloud cover.
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Although Australia enjoys a wide variety of plant life, the Jacaranda is without question one of the most beloved. Commonly mistaken as a local species by Australians, the Jacaranda’s roots actually lie in Brazil. In around 1818, samples of the Jacaranda mimosifolia species were collected and sent to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew by British collector Allan Cunningham. He was then sent on from Rio de Janeiro to New South Wales, where he would eventually serve as a colonial botanist.Known to start flowering in early-mid October, the trees can reach a height of around 10 to 15 metres and typically produce beautiful purple flowers. The stunning Jacaranda you see in today’s image can be found in sunny Brisbane, but travel 186 miles south to the city of Grafton and you’ll be able to join an annual nine-day festival dedicated to the tree - complete with street parades, dragon boat racing and music. Grafton’s love of Jacarandas is so deep that locals even get a half-day public holiday in the middle of the festivities. We can get on board with that!
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The picturesque Bow Bridge in New York’s Central Park is the site of many a romantic moment – both on screen and off. The cast iron bridge has served as a filming location in movies such as Spider-Man 3, The Way We Were – starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford – and the Woody Allen-directed Manhattan. One of 36 bridges and arches here at Central Park, it was designed in 1862, in part by Calvert Vaux, who is famous for co-designing Central Park along with Frederick Law Olmsted. Years later it’s still inspiring romance.
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