分类必应美图下的文章

以阿贡火山为背景Sidemen山谷中的稻田，印度尼西亚巴厘岛 Rice fields in the Sidemen Valley, with Mount Agung in the background, Bali, Indonesia (© Jon Arnold/Danita Delimont)

Green fields of grain

We're looking down on the lush fields of the Sidemen Valley, sitting in the shadow of Bali's tallest mountain, Mount Agung. In May, this Indonesian province marks the end of the harvest season of a key staple—rice. Towns and villages are decorated with colorful flags, and farmers erect shrines to Dewi Sri, the rice goddess. Small, handmade straw dolls depicting the goddess are left here and there in further tribute. Before 'social distancing' entered the global vocabulary, people came together to share traditional food and indulge in fun and games, like water buffalo races through the streets. This year, to be sure, the celebrations will be more subdued, more private, though the gratitude for a bountiful harvest, we suspect, just as deeply felt.

大提顿国家公园中的Old Patriarch Tree，怀俄明州 The Old Patriarch Tree of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (© George Sanker/Minden Pictures)

A tree amid the Tetons

This limber pine standing alone in the sage brush flats has a name—Old Patriarch. A favorite subject of nature photographers in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, Old Patriarch is thought to be more than a thousand years old. The 'Cathedral Group' of the Teton Mountains forms a breathtaking backdrop, bursting up from the valley floor below and stretching dramatically to the soaring peaks. The national park spreads out below the spires for 310,000 acres, creating a home for extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain. Sounds like the Old Patriarch has found quite a home for himself.

Commonly found in the Rocky Mountains, limber pines are known to stand the test of time—literally. Some people estimate Old Patriarch to be more than a thousand years old. The 'Cathedral Group' of the Teton Mountains forms a breathtaking backdrop, bursting up from the valley floor below and stretching dramatically to the soaring peaks. The national park spreads out below the spires for 310,000 acres, creating a home for extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain. Sounds like the Old Patriarch has found quite a home for himself.

Summer storm from City Beach, Perth, Australia (© JohnCrux/Getty Images)

Thunderbolt and lightning…

Ever endured a scorcher of a summer’s day only to be hit with a thunderstorm soon after? That’s especially common here at City Beach in Perth, where the two go together like Vegemite and toast. Moisture and warmth are both major factors in the creation of thunderstorms, meaning when humidity and heat ramp up during the hotter months, large amounts of warm, humid air gradually rise off the ground via surface winds into an unstable atmosphere. If this atmosphere is particularly unstable that can lead to severe conditions like large hail, wind gusts of 90 km/h and uncharacteristically heavy rainfall - leading to flash flooding.

阿德莱德山的葡萄园，澳大利亚 (© Ben Goode/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

印克斯湖国家公园中的德克萨斯矢车菊，德克萨斯州 Bluebonnets growing alongside an old road in the Texas Hill Country (© Inge Johnsson/Alamy)

Where the wildflowers grow

In honor of National Wildflower Week, we're looking at a field of blooming bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas. If you notice bluebonnets and other blooms while traveling down Texas highways, thank the state's Department of Transportation, which sows tens of thousands of pounds of wildflower seeds along roadways each year.

But wildflowers aren't just pretty to look at. Most of these native plants grow on their own—without the need for cultivation—helping preserve water, protect against erosion, and provide habitat for birds, butterflies, and other critters. Plus, they have a restorative quality for the mind, just as wildflower-lover Lady Bird Johnson once said: 'Where flowers bloom, so does hope.'

Gondolas called trajineras in the canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico (© Orbon Alija/Getty Images)

Cinco de Mayo in Xochimilco

This aerial view comes from Xochimilco, a borough of Mexico City that's famous for its canals, leftover from a lake and canal system that once connected settlements in the Valley of Mexico. The canals are best explored from these colorful gondola-like boats known as a trajineras, floating past artificial islands that were once used for agriculture.

We think the Xochimilco canals would be a fine place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo today. While Americans often confuse the holiday with Mexico's Independence Day, it's actually the anniversary of Mexico's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla. The victory was especially significant because the Mexicans overcame France despite having a much smaller, less equipped army. When France later took Mexico City, the Battle of Puebla remained a source of Mexican pride and hope during the occupation.

库斯科附近萨克塞华曼的印加要塞，秘鲁 Inca fortress of Sacsayhuamán near Cusco, Peru (© Susanne Kremer/eStock Photo)

The (Inca) empire strikes back

It's the 1530s. Spanish conquistadors are cementing their hold over the lands of the Incan Empire, including the massive 12th-century stone fortress in today's image: Sacsayhuamán, in the old Inca capital of Cusco. The Spanish hold prisoner a man named Manco Inca, the puppet leader they've installed over the Incans. But one day in the spring of 1536, he escapes.

He returns on May 6, accompanied by legions of Inca warriors. The Inca retake much of Cusco, including Sacsayhuamán, which they make their main base, forcing the Spanish to take refuge in buildings near the main plaza. In the end, the Incan effort fails: After a few months, the Spanish retake Sacsayhuamán and then manage to cut off the Incans' supplies, forcing their surrender and finalizing Spain's control over Peru. The Spaniards will partly dismantle Sacsayhuamán and use its smaller blocks to build colonial Cusco. But even today, the outer walls of impossibly large interlocking stones still overlook the modern-day city, a symbol of the mysterious empire that once ruled here.

It's Star Wars Day

Does this area look familiar? If you're a 'Star Wars' fan you might recognize it as the planet of Crait, featured in 'The Last Jedi.' In reality it's Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, found in southwest Bolivia. This otherworldly landscape is near the crest of the Andes, nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. It was formed by the transformations of prehistoric lakes which dried up in this area, leaving behind a salt crust several feet deep. After a rare rainfall, a thin layer of perfectly still water will transform the salt flat into a giant mirror 80 miles across.

We hope you're having a good Star Wars Day—and, as the saying goes, 'May the Fourth be with you.'

Morocco in bloom

Millions of roses are harvested in May and June each year in the Dades Valley of Morocco, known as the Valley of Roses. (It's also known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, for the many traditional fortresses found here.) The Asif M'Goun River flows from high in the Atlas Mountains, bringing water to the lush valleys below. The town of Kalaat M'Gouna is the center of the rose harvest each spring, when thousands of pounds of roses are plucked from the valley's abundant bushes. Their fragrant petals are used to create the oil that goes into a potpourri of perfumes, creams, and other products that are for sale in local bazaars. No one knows how the roses originally appeared here, but it's said that a traveling merchant from Damascus, Syria, first brought them to the region hundreds of years ago, which gave the local rose its name: Damask.

星空迷