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Nov 24, 2018The 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

Feb 3, 2022Corjuem 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

Aug 20, 2021Signs 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

Sep 3, 2018Construction 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

Oct 30, 2019Cross 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

May 24, 2021A 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

Oct 17, 2021A 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

Dec 11, 2018‘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

Jun 22, 2021Land 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

Oct 11, 2019Art 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

Nov 15, 2020What’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

Jun 4, 2020A 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

Mar 28, 2018Great 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

Jul 22, 2018Travel 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

May 10, 2021An 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

Apr 21, 2018Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29

Here at Bing, we’re big fans of national parks. So, when National Park Week comes around, we join with so many others in celebrating ‘America’s best idea.’ National Park Week is an annual celebration of national parks sponsored by the National Park Foundation and National Park Service. This year we’re celebrating by featuring a homepage image of a different national park for each day of the festivities, starting with the granddaddy of US national parks–Yellowstone. This is the Grand Prismatic Spring, a hot spring at Yellowstone that spans 370 feet in diameter and reaches depths of 160 feet, making it the largest hot spring in the US and the third largest in the world. The rainbow of vivid colors is created by heat-loving bacteria that reside in the water. Come back tomorrow to see where we go next.Desktop Version

Jul 4, 2021Happy 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

Sep 26, 2019Kelp buddies

These sea otters in Alaska are floating amid kelp—an important flora friend to the endangered marine mammals. Sea otters live mostly in the water and use the thick blades of kelp to anchor themselves as they sleep and to keep their buoyant pups from floating away. Just as the kelp helps otters, sea otters help the kelp, too. They ensure the kelp"s survival by eating sea urchins. If sea urchin populations are left unchecked, these spiny vacuum cleaners of the sea destroy kelp forests by munching on holdfasts that tether kelp to the ocean floor. The resulting clear-cut areas, called urchin barrens, are devastating to the overall ecosystem. Kelp forests provide food and safe harbor for hundreds of fish species and other sea creatures. They also remove carbon dioxide from the air, a benefit to us all.Desktop Version

Dec 28, 2020Wildcat in a winter wonderland

If you"re lucky, you can catch a glimpse of this wily wildcat species in many places across Alaska and far-northern Canada. But here in Montana, a Canada lynx encounter like this is rare. While lynxes are known to live in cold climates from Washington state to Maine, they"ve been listed for two decades as threatened across the lower 48 states.Desktop Version

May 13, 2018Happy Mother’s Day

Our mama manatee and her calf are gliding through the crystal waters of Three Sisters Springs in Florida. We hope these two remind you of a mother’s love. If you call home for Mother’s Day, here’s some trivia you can share to make mom proud: In 2017, the Florida manatee was reclassified from endangered to threatened in acknowledgment of improvements in its population.Desktop Version

May 13, 2019In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes

Swamps and bogs probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think of America’s celebrated landscapes. That’s a shame, since wetlands like these play a crucial role in the health of our ecosystems. In addition to providing unique habitat to the many species that call wetlands home, they filter water, provide a natural buffer from storms, absorb flood waters, and capture carbon from the atmosphere—helping to protect our planet from climate change.Desktop Version

Dec 21, 2021Winter 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

Jul 26, 2021The dancing trees of Sumba Island

On the northern coast of Indonesia"s Sumba Island, a stand of mangrove trees appears to dip and sway to summon another dreamy sunrise. Walakiri Beach is gently sloped, so it"s easy for a visitor to walk out into the knee-deep water to examine the extraordinary transitional zone of a mangrove ecosystem. Mangroves thrive here at the boundary between land and sea, growing in coastal salt water and low-oxygen conditions where other trees would quickly die. Their complex root systems filter out the salt and form a strong natural defense against storm surges, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion. Mangroves also create aquatic nursery habitats that support a highly diverse range of juvenile fish and crustaceans.Desktop Version

Dec 31, 2020Goodbye, 2020!

New Year"s Eve celebrations around the world will look a lot different this year, but as we ring in 2021 (and bid good riddance to 2020?) we can still enjoy this view of fireworks from a previous year in Spain. The cathedral in the background is the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which was constructed over centuries beginning in 1681, though several churches had been built on the site prior to that. On the left is the Puente de Piedra Bridge, which spans the Ebro River. It"s also known as the Bridge of Lions because statues of lions (symbols of the city) stand at each end of the bridge. Zaragoza is famous for its landmarks and architecture, as well as for local cuisine, and seasonal festivals—which we can only hope return soon.Desktop Version

Jul 25, 2020Going with the floe

Welcome to Disko Bay near the town of Ilulissat, Greenland, where summer"s midnight sun will dip just below the horizon for only about an hour and a half tonight. In fact, for several weeks in the period around the summer solstice, the sun doesn"t set at all on Disko Bay. Technically, the "midnight sun" occurs in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun remains visible at the local midnight. This natural phenomenon lasts from April to August in the northern regions of Greenland. (The opposite effect, polar night, occurs during winter months when the sun does not rise above the horizon.)Desktop Version

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