分类必应美图下的文章

松木国家森林，佛罗里达州 Pine Log State Forest, Florida (© plainpicture/Cavan Images)

In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes

Swamps and bogs probably aren’t the first that comes to mind when it comes to 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.

Each year in the month of May, environmental groups and partners celebrate the humble bog as part of American Wetlands Month. You can find some of the country’s healthiest examples of wetlands in Florida, home to swamps, which are dominated by forests, and marshes, which are home to grasses, rushes, and weeds. Today’s homepage comes from Pine Log State Forest, located near the town of Ebro in the Florida Panhandle. Established in 1936, it’s Florida’s oldest state forest, and a fine place to explore.

荷兰阿姆斯特丹附近赞瑟斯汉斯村里古老的风车 Historic windmills of Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam, Netherlands (© Matt Cooper/Gallery Stock)

Bringing together history and technology

On the second Saturday in May, the Dutch celebrate an iconic national structure—the windmill—like these historic ones at Zaanse Schans. With hundreds of windmills across the country, many sites use the day to demonstrate how windmills work and host art exhibits. But the concept of using wind power isn’t just a historical anecdote—this renewable energy is experiencing a boom, and by 2050 is predicted to provide one-third of the world's electricity.

Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania © Walter Bibikow/Danita Delimont

Looking back on 150 years of rail travel

In 1986, work began to convert an old railyard in Scranton, Pennsylvania from a relic to a heritage preservation site now known as Steamtown. A donated collection of train engines, some dating back to the 1800s, gave Steamtown some exhibits to show off, while the fully functional railyard provides a live demonstration of how trains work—and how rail transit greatly changed the United States.

On this day 150 years ago, in 1869, the Golden Spike was hammered into the First Transcontinental Railroad. It created the first rail line to link the established railways of the eastern United States with the rapidly expanding railroads of the West, making transcontinental travel via train a reality. Need some context? The alternative at the time would be to traverse the nearly 2,000 mile stretch between Omaha, Nebraska and San Francisco by horse, wagon, or your own two feet. With rail travel now an option, America’s Westward Expansion was suddenly in high gear.

黄昏时佩吉海湾的灯塔，加拿大新斯科舍省 Peggy's Cove Lighthouse at dusk, Nova Scotia, Canada (© Darwin Wiggett/Offset)

斯凯利格群岛（由斯凯利格·迈克尔岛和小斯凯利格岛组成），爱尔兰 The Skellig Islands, Skellig Michael and Little Skellig, in Ireland (© Design Pics/DanitaDelimont.com)

荒地国家公园城堡小径附近的草原和尖塔石山 Prairie and pinnacles near Castle Trail in Badlands National Park, South Dakota (© Danita Delimont/Getty Images)

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