分类必应美图下的文章

【今日端午】 (© su_pei/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

鸟瞰希腊罗德岛岩石海岸上蓝白相间的遮阳伞 (© Amazing Aerial Agency/Offset by Shutterstock)

公牛角，英国德文郡 Bull Point in Devon, England (© Robert Harding World Imagery/Offset by Shutterstock)

Flowers by the sea

It might be hard to believe that this breathtaking stretch of coastline near Bull Point on the northern coast of Devon, England, was once notorious for smugglers and wreckers. Today, it's a respite from the crowds, boasting views of dramatic cliffs, rocky headlands, and sandy bays. Along these shores in summertime you can spot colorful patches of wildflowers, which have become a less common sight in the UK over the last hundred years or so. In fact, the country has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s as land has been turned over to grow food crops. Some once-common species like the crested-cow-wheat, spiked rampion, and man orchid, are so rare they can only be found at the edges of rural roadsides and small, family-owned farms.

Thankfully, the wildflowers pictured here, Armeria maritima, aka sea pink or sea thrift, continue to bloom among the rocky terrain. These pinkish blooms are native to coastal climates and often flourish on the sides of cliffs—and we're sure glad they still do.

Artist Saype's 'Beyond Walls' installation in the Parc de la Grange, Geneva, Switzerland (© Valentin Flauraud/Shutterstock)

'Beyond Walls' for World Refugee Day

For World Refugee Day, we're featuring an aerial view of 'Beyond Walls,' an art installation by the French artist Saype. In the span of five years, he aims to create the longest symbolic human chain around the world by constructing outdoor designs of interlaced hands just like this in over 20 cities. The first four were completed in 2019 in Paris, Andorra, Berlin and Geneva, Switzerland, shown here.

His series hopes to promote unity and kindness, which seems an apt message for World Refugee Day. According to the United Nations, which established World Refugee Day in 2000, every minute some 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution, or terror. Today's observance is intended to raise awareness of their plight.

厄勒布鲁附近湖上的仲夏之光，瑞典 Midsummer light captured at a lake near the city of Örebro, Sweden (© Anders Jorulf/Getty Images)

Midsummer's Eve in Sweden

This mirrorlike lake—pictured not at dawn nor dusk, but under the tireless midnight sun that marks Scandinavian summers—lies just outside Örebro, a midsized city in south-central Sweden. To Swedes, tonight is the eve of Midsummer, a summer solstice holiday with roots in ancient, pagan Europe that's now (at least officially and to the pious) also held to honor the birth of Christian figure John the Baptist.

大峡谷哈瓦苏溪上的海狸瀑布，亚利桑那州 Beaver Falls on Havasu Creek in the Grand Canyon, Arizona (© Edwin Verin/Alamy)

Don't go chasing waterfalls

The stunning limestone travertine steps of Beaver Falls are the last in a series of five waterfalls along Havasu Creek, near the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The water gets its turquoise color from calcium carbonate, which reflects the beautiful hue and creates an ever-changing tableau; the minerals are deposited, moved, and redeposited to create new formations.

Getting to Beaver Falls is only for the adventurous—and lucky. First, you need a permit for Havasupai campground, which typically sell out in a day. From there, it's a 4-mile strenuous hike on rugged terrain with frequent water crossings, narrow ledges, and chains and ladders to assist when the trail gets especially precarious.

Your persistence is rewarded with pools for swimming, a natural waterslide, and stunning red rock canyon views. It's no wonder this region is sacred to the Havasupai, whose name means 'people of the blue-green water.'

都柏林的圣斯蒂芬绿地，爱尔兰 St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland (© L_E/Shutterstock)

In the footsteps of Leopold Bloom

Today, we're looking down at St. Stephen's Green in Dublin in honor of Bloomsday, a day when people celebrate Irish author James Joyce and his famous 1922 novel 'Ulysses.' But, why today you ask? That's because the novel follows the meanderings and thoughts (and meandering thoughts) of the protagonist, Leopold Bloom, and a host of other characters—real and fictional—from 8AM on June 16, 1904, through the early hours of the next morning.

In 1924, Joyce himself mentioned in a letter that some people celebrated 'Bloom's day' on June 16, which must have amused him. Then, for the 50th anniversary of the events in the novel, a group of Irish literary figures and other 'Ulysses' enthusiasts organized a kind of a pilgrimage on June 16, 1954, ambling along the route that Bloom takes through Dublin. Bloomsday has since grown into a worldwide literary celebration. People in Dublin can follow in the characters' footsteps through the city's streets, visiting places immortalized in the novel; others may celebrate by dressing in fashion from the time, eating food mentioned in the book, and performing readings of the text.

Surfer's paradise

Look closely at today's homepage image and you'll spot the shadow of a surfer, who's probably delighted to be here in Medewi, Bali. It's a favorite spot for big waves, warm water, and beautiful views. With its 13,000 islands and year-round warm water, Indonesia is a prime surfing destination. The island of Bali especially has gained a reputation as a mecca for the sport since global wave-chasers started arriving here in the 1960s and '70s. These days major surfing brands operate their Southeast Asia headquarters out of Bali. Peak surf season here usually falls between April and October, but you can get a fix anytime—just a cue up a classic surf movie filmed on the beaches of Bali, such as 'Morning of the Earth' or 'The Endless Summer 2.'

火灾烧毁大部分森林后，野花遍地的凯尔特河野营地 Kettle River Recreation Area bursting with wildflowers after a fire destroyed much of the forest, British Columbia, Canada (© Debra Brash/plainpicture)

Rising from the ashes

This dazzling display of colorful wildflowers is a result of a wildfire that raged through the forest here in British Columbia’s Kettle River Recreation Area. Wildfires in forests are natural and vital to the ecosystem. The heat from the burning tree dumps millions of seeds on the forest floor. Decaying flora turned into ash, releases nutrients in the soil which in turn invigorates the growth of new seedlings. The raging fire further contributes to an abundant new growth of plant matter by eliminating weeds and invasive insects. It also thus makes way for sunlight to immerse the forest floor enabling seeds to germinate and eventually bloom into a scene like our homepage today.

杜尔比河峡谷中的Moulin de Corp和小桥，法国Grands Causses自然公园 The Dourbie Gorge Corps Mill and adjoining bridge in Grands Causses Natural Regional Park, France (© Hemis/Alamy)

A gorge-ous mill in the Causses

It may look peaceful now, but on warm days the river below this mill attracts swimmers, kayakers, and the occasional sport fisherman. Moulin de Corps (Corps Mill) connects to a stone bridge that spans the Dourbie River in a gorge deep within the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park of southern France. Built by a French lord in the 14th century, the mill originally produced flour. But by the 20th century it had been converted to the private residence we see in today's picture. The Grands Causses Regional Nature Park is home to hundreds of mills like this one, examples of a cultural heritage that can still be found throughout the Mediterranean agro-pastoral landscape.

星空迷