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  • A layer of fog passes over Sparks Lake in Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. A small island in the lake is covered with yellow spear-leaf arnica (Arnica longifolia) flowers.
    OR_Sparks-Lake_Island_Arnica_Fog_382...jpg
  • South Sister is reflected on the water of Sparks Lake on a foggy summer morning in Deschutes County, Oregon. South Sister, at 10,363 feet (3,159 meters) tall, is the tallest and youngest volcano in Oregon's Three Sisters group, last erupting about 2,000 years ago. Yellow spear-leaf arnica (Arnica longifolia) flowers bloom on a small island in Sparks Lake.
    OR_Sparks-Lake_South-Sister_Fog_3774.jpg
  • The trunk of a weathered ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) shows a variety of colors and textures in the Deschutes National Forest near Bend, Oregon.
    Pine-Ponderosa_Trunk_Texture_Deschut...jpg
  • A narrow band of cirrus clouds turn pink at sunrise high in the sky over Haystack Rock, a prominent sea stack on the Oregon coast at Cannon Beach. Haystack Rock is composed of basalt and was formed about 15 million years ago from lava flows emanating from the Blue Mountains and Columbia basin.
    HaystackRock_Pastel-Sunrise_Cannon-B...jpg
  • Water from the Pacific Ocean drains through the skylight of a sea cave at Cape Perpetua near Yachats, Oregon. During the year's highest tides or in strong surf, ocean waves splash onto the rocks and make a 360-degree waterfall as the water drains into the hole.
    OR_CapePerpetua_Blowhole_Sunset_4254.jpg
  • A variety of thermophiles, which are microorganisms that thrive in heat, are responsible for the colors in the Grand Prismatic Spring, located in the Midway Geyser Basin area of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The yellow-green color comes from the thermophilic cyanobacteria Synechococcus, which is found in the hottest water of the spring (up to 161°F or 72°C). Phormidium, which is orange, is found in the spring's middle temperatures (113-140°F or 45-60°C). Calothrix, which is brown or black, is found in the coolest temperatures, although not lower than 86°F or 30°C. The terraces are the result of minerals that solidify in water that spills out of the spring.
    Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic-Spring_B...jpg
  • A brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in nonbreeding plumage hunts by diving head-first into the water of the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park near La Push, Washington. Pelicans feed mainly on fish they find at or near the surface. They can dive from heights of 50 feet (15 meters) or more, filling their throat pouches once they hit the water. They then strain out the water and swallow any food that was caught.
    Pelican-Brown_Diving_OlympicNP_7798.jpg
  • A sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) battles its way up the Cedar River to spawn in the autumn. Sockeye salmon are also known as red salmon or blueback salmon. The males do not turn red until they return to the rivers or streams where they hatched to spawn.
    Salmon_Sockeye_Swimming_Riverview_57...jpg
  • A Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) dives to attack a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as it watches over its nest in Kirkland, Washington. The nearly full moon is visible in the background. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food.
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Moon_Kirkla...jpg
  • An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) dives to attack a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as it watches over its nest in Kirkland, Washington. The nearly full moon is visible in the background. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food..
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Moon_Kirkla...jpg
  • A black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) lands next to its nesting mate on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. It breeds in colonies in large reedbeds or marshes or on islands in lakes, and nests on the ground.
    Gull_BlackHeaded_Nesting_8119.jpg
  • A pair of northern shovelers (Spatula clypeata) swim together on a pond in the Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle, Washington. Nothern shovelers are monogamous, forming bonds when they are on their wintering grounds and staying together until just before the fall migration. Northern shovelers are dabbling ducks that feed in shallow wetlands, using their distinctive spoon-shaped bills to scoop up and filter water to collect seeds, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates. The bird in the front is a male, or drake, in breeding plumage; behind him is a female, or hen.
    Shovelers-Northern_Pair_Union-Bay_15...jpg
  • A brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in nonbreeding plumage hunts by diving head-first into the water of the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park near La Push, Washington. Pelicans feed mainly on fish they find at or near the surface. They can dive from heights of 50 feet (15 meters) or more, filling their throat pouches once they hit the water. They then strain out the water and swallow any food that was caught.
    Pelican-Brown_OlympicNP_Diving_HeadF...jpg
  • A towering columnar basalt cliff is partially reflected in the waters of Breiðasund in the town of Stykkishólmur, Iceland. Columnar basalt is a volcanic rock formed when basalt lava rapidly cools at or very near the Earth's surface. Basalt, which is naturally grey or black, is rich in iron and can rapidly rust, taking on a reddish-brown appearance.
    Iceland_ColumnarBasalt_Stykkisholmur...jpg
  • A towering columnar basalt cliff is partially reflected in the waters of Breiðasund in the town of Stykkishólmur, Iceland. Columnar basalt is a volcanic rock formed when basalt lava rapidly cools at or very near the Earth's surface. Basalt, which is naturally grey or black, is rich in iron and can rapidly rust, taking on a reddish-brown appearance.
    Iceland_ColumnarBasalt_Stykkisholmur...jpg
  • A Northwestern crow (Corvus caurinus) prepares to mob a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Heritage Park, Kirkland, Washington. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food.
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Kirkland_23...jpg
  • Orange crustose lichen grows on the volcanic rock near Lake Mývatn in northern Iceland. Lichens are a symbiosis of a fungus and a green alga and/or cyanobacterium; and crustose is the most common type of lichen in Iceland; accounting for about 400 of the 700 identified species. Crustose are very slow growing; typically growing 1 millimeter or less per year.
    Iceland_Lichen_Myvatn_4007.jpg
  • An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) dives to attack a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched at the top of a tree in Kirkland, Washington. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food..
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Kirkland_18...jpg
  • As a brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) with an extended throat pouch works on swallowing its catch, another pelican dives into the Pacific Ocean to try to catch fish in the Pacific Ocean off First Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington. Pelicans feed mainly on fish they find at or near the surface. They can dive from heights of 50 feet (15 meters) or more, filling their throat pouches once they hit the water. They then strain out the water and swallow any food that was caught.
    Pelicans-Brown_OlympicNP_Feeding_770...jpg
  • A brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in nonbreeding plumage hunts by diving head-first into the water of the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park near La Push, Washington. Pelicans feed mainly on fish they find at or near the surface. They can dive from heights of 50 feet (15 meters) or more, filling their throat pouches once they hit the water. They then strain out the water and swallow any food that was caught.
    Pelican-Brown_OlympicNP_Diving_6501.jpg
  • Colorful crustose lichens grow on lava rock at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. Lichens are a symbiosis of a fungus and a green alga and/or cyanobacterium. Crustose are very slow growing, typically growing 1 millimeter or less per year.
    CratersOfTheMoon_Lichen_2479.jpg
  • A flock of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) flies in formation over the Snohomish River near Kenmore, Washington. Flocks of double-crested cormorants typically fly in a line or a V formation, similar to geese. The double-crested cormorant is one of only two types of cormorants that are found on or near fresh water.
    Cormorants_DoubleCrested_Vformation_...jpg
  • A brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in nonbreeding plumage hunts by diving head-first into the water of the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park near La Push, Washington. Pelicans feed mainly on fish they find at or near the surface. They can dive from heights of 50 feet (15 meters) or more, filling their throat pouches once they hit the water. They then strain out the water and swallow any food that was caught.
    Pelican-Brown_OlympicNP_Diving_6943.jpg
  • A Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) dives to attack a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as it watches over its nest in Kirkland, Washington. The nearly full moon is visible in the background. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food.
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Moon_Kirkla...jpg
  • An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) dives to attack a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched at the top of a tree in Kirkland, Washington. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food.
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Kirkland_20...jpg
  • An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) dives to attack a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched at the top of a tree in Kirkland, Washington. Crows are often seen chasing hawks or eagles in flight, or repeatedly diving at them when they perched, a practice known as mobbing. Research is inconclusive, but scientists think this harassment helps to force the birds of prey to hunt elsewhere, ultimately reducing the threat to the crows and lowering competition for food.
    BaldEagle_Crow_Attacking_Kirkland_21...jpg
  • Three stray dogs, called satos, sit on El Gallito beach on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Throughout Puerto Rico, an estimated 200,000 abandoned or abused dogs roam the beaches and streets.
    Vieques_Stray-Dogs_El-Gallito_0474.jpg
  • A series of cumulus clouds develop and grow as the sun sets over Snohomish County, Washington. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin, and the clouds typically form where warm air rises and reaches a level of cold air where the moisure in the air condenses.
    Clouds_Cumulus_Developing_Sunset_551...jpg
  • A large flock of snow geese (Chen caerulescens) takes off at sunrise from a pond at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. During the winter months, thousands of snow geese spend the night on the pond and take off at or just before sunrise. This dramatic show is best viewed from part of the reserve known as the Flight Deck.
    NM_SnowGeese_FlightDeck_Sunrise_9188.jpg
  • A raven flies past the Old Faithful geyser as it erupts in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. When Old Faithful erupts, it can launch as much as 8,400 gallons (32,000 liters) of boiling water as high as 185 feet (56 meters), although the average eruption height is 145 feet (44 meters). The time between eruptions is growing longer on average, possibly because earthquakes have affected underground water levels. The current interval is either 65 or 91 minutes depending on attributes of the prior eruption.
    Old-Faithful_Eruption_Raven_Yellowst...jpg
  • Upper Tahquamenon Falls, framed by winter ice, drops 48 feet (14 meters) in Tahquamenon Falls State Park in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The upper falls are more than 200 feet (60 meters) across and portions of the waterfall freeze in winter. The water of the Tahquamenon River appears brown or red because of tannic acid that results from the organic material generated by the cedar, hemlock and spruce forests along the river.
    MI_Tahquamenon-Falls_Frozen_0931.jpg
  • A spotted towhee (Pipilo maculatus) rests on a branch surrounded by bright yellow Scotch broom blossoms in Snohomish County, Washington. The spotted towhee is a type of sparrow and is most commonly found on the ground or searching shrubs for insects and fruit.
    Towhee_Spotted_ScotchBroom_8226.jpg
  • Six bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) feed or fight for fish along the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, Washington. Several hundred bald eagles winter along the Nooksack and Skagit rivers in the North Cascades of Washington to feast on spawned out salmon.
    BaldEagles_NooksackRiver_Six_Fightin...jpg
  • A snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus formerly Nyctea scandiaca)  rests on driftwood during a rain storm at Boundary Bay in southern British Columbia, Canada. Snowy owls migrate that far south only once or twice a decade in a type of migration known as an irruption.
    SnowyOwl_BoundaryBay_Driftwood_Rain_...jpg
  • A herd of American Elk (Cervus canadensis) or Wapiti gather at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area west of Yakima, Washington. The state Fish and Wildlife Department has been putting out feed for the elk each winter since the 1940s to prevent the elk from migrating farther south and destroying valuable crops.
    Elk_OakCreek_1957.jpg
  • Stars are visible in the sky as Old Faithful erupts at dusk in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. When Old Faithful erupts, it can launch as much as 8,400 gallons (32,000 liters) of boiling water as high as 185 feet (56 meters), although the average eruption height is 145 feet (44 meters). The time between eruptions is growing longer on average, possibly because earthquakes have affected underground water levels. The current interval is either 65 or 91 minutes depending on attributes of the prior eruption.
    Old-Faithful_Eruption_Dusk_Yellowsto...jpg
  • American crows zig-zag in the sky above North Creek in Bothell, Washington, as they look for a place to land. An estimated 10,000 or more crows roost in the area each night.
    Crows_Murder_ZigZag_North-Creek_2163.jpg
  • A male wood duck (Aix sponsa), called a drake, swims in a channel of the wetlands of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington. Wood ducks typically breed in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes or ponds, and creeks in the eastern United States and along the west coast from Washington state into Mexico. They usually nest in cavities in trees close to water. Unlike most other ducks, the wood duck has sharp claws for perching in trees.
    WoodDuck_DrakeSwimming_Arboretum_115...jpg
  • Two Allen's Chipmunks (Tamias senex) play on the rocks in the Sequoia National Forest near Kings Canyon National Park, California. Allen's Chipmunks, also known as Large Mountain Chipmunks or Shadow Chipmunks, are found from the coast to the mountains, though only the mountain chipmunks hibernate in the winter. Allen's Chipmunks primarily feed on fungi.
    Chipmunks_Allens_KingsCanyon_TwoOnRo...jpg
  • An iceberg carries a rock though Jökulsárlón, Iceland's glacial lagoon. Glaciers have been known to carry rocks great distances. Rocks fall onto glaciers, which move slowly down mountains. When the glacier melts so much that it can no longer support the rock, the rock is dropped and it becomes known as a glacial erratic. The term referrs to rocks that are different in size, shape or composition from other rocks around them.
    Iceland_Jokulsarlon_GlacialErratic_5...jpg
  • The petals, or rays, of a common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) form abstract patterns in this macro view, which is approximately five times life size.
    Dandelion_Flower_Macro_2742.jpg
  • Two northern shovelers (Spatula clypeata) raise their heads while swimming on a pond in the Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle, Washington. The two northern shovelers seen here are drakes, or males, in their breeding plumage. Northern shovelers feed in shallow wetlands, using their distinctive spoon-shaped bills to scoop up and filter water to collect seeds, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates.
    Shovelers-Northern_Drakes_Union-Bay_...jpg
  • Hundreds of hoodoos that make up the Bryce Canyon amphitheater are lit at sunrise. Bryce Canyon is national park in Utah. The hoodoos, or spires, are remanants of large sandstone fins that have been subjected to centuries of erosion.
    Bryce-Canyon_Amphitheater_Dawn_4388.jpg
  • Dawson Falls drops 18 meters (59 feet) into a small gorge in Egmont National Park in the Taranaki District on the North Island of New Zealand. Dawson Falls is located along Kāpuni Stream. The native Māori people know the waterfall as Te Rere o Noke or the Falls of Noke, a Māori warrior who hid from his pursuers behind the falls.
    NZ_DawsonFalls_Egmont_0964.jpg
  • A burro (Equus asinus), also known as a donkey, stands among the Calico Hills in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area in Nevada. Burros were introduced to the area in the 1800s by miners and ranchers who used them to haul heavy cargo. Some escaped or were freed, becoming wild (technically feral). The Red Rock Canyon area is part of the Mojave Desert and is a harsh environment, but the burros are able to survive by finding spring water and feeding on grasses.
    Burro_Calico-Hills_Red-Rock-Canyon_N...jpg
  • A pair of wood ducks (Aix sponsa), a drake or male is in the foreground, a female is in the background, rest together near a lake in King County, Washington.
    Duck-Wood_Pair_Sammamish_6941.jpg
  • The badlands of the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, are turned red by the setting sun. Badlands are a type of dry terrain where clay or soft sedimentary rock have been heavily eroded by rain and wind and where vegetation is scarce.
    AZ_Petrified-Forest_Badlands_Sunset_...jpg
  • A long exposure captures the motion of the spray erupting from the Old Faithful at dawn in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. When Old Faithful erupts, it can launch as much as 8,400 gallons (32,000 liters) of boiling water as high as 185 feet (56 meters), although the average eruption height is 145 feet (44 meters). The time between eruptions is growing longer on average, possibly because earthquakes have affected underground water levels. The current interval is either 65 or 91 minutes depending on attributes of the prior eruption.
    Old-Faithful_Eruption_Dawn_Yellowsto...jpg
  • The spray from the erupting Old Faithful geyser takes on a slight red hue at the first light of day in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. When Old Faithful erupts, it can launch as much as 8,400 gallons (32,000 liters) of boiling water as high as 185 feet (56 meters), although the average eruption height is 145 feet (44 meters). The time between eruptions is growing longer on average, possibly because earthquakes have affected underground water levels. The current interval is either 65 or 91 minutes depending on attributes of the prior eruption.
    Old-Faithful_Eruption_Dawn_Yellowsto...jpg
  • The Old Faithful geyser erupts in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. When Old Faithful erupts, it can launch as much as 8,400 gallons (32,000 liters) of boiling water as high as 185 feet (56 meters), although the average eruption height is 145 feet (44 meters). The time between eruptions is growing longer on average, possibly because earthquakes have affected underground water levels. The current interval is either 65 or 91 minutes depending on attributes of the prior eruption.
    Old-Faithful_Eruption_Runoff_Yellows...jpg
  • A Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) watches as another flies by in the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, Vieques, Puerto Rico. The Gulf fritiallry is a widespread neotropical butterfly, found from the south-central United States to southern South America.
    Butterfly_Gulf-fritillary_Vieques_79...jpg
  • Hundreds of Vaux's swifts (Chaetura vauxi) circle then dive into the chimney at the Wagner Center in Monroe, Washington, during their fall migration. Vaux's swifts do not have back talons, so they cannot stand or perch. They roost by clinging to rough surfaces, mainly old-growth trees, but also old chimneys and smoke stacks that do not have smooth interior liners. As many as 26,000 Vaux's swifts have perched in the Monroe chimney at a time.
    Swifts_Vauxs_Chimney_Monroe_Motion_9...jpg
  • A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) sleeps near a rabbit den in a prairie in the San Juan Island National Historical Park, San Juan Island, Washington. Red foxes were introduced to the island on a number of occasions in the 1900s. All foxes on San Juan Island are red foxes, even if they appear black, silver, gray, tan or other colors.
    Fox-Red_Sleeping_San-Juan_3894.jpg
  • A waterfall known simply as Cascade or Waterval (respectively the French and Dutch words for waterfall) is a primary feature of Parc de Woluwé, a natural area near Brussels, Belgium.
    Brussels_Woluwe_Cascade_3459.jpg
  • With a Pacific Ocean wave in the background, a Heermann's gull (Larus heermanni) rests on a rock overlooking Las Tunas Beach near Malibu, California. This is an adult Heermann's gull, displaying breeding plumage. Heermann's gulls are native to the west coast of North America, from southwestern British Columbia to Mexico. The gulls are usually found at the shoreline or very far out to sea; they are very rarely spotted inland. Nearly all of the Heermann's gulls nest on Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California.
    Gull_Heermanns_Las-Tunas-Beach_9341.jpg
  • The northern lights or aurora borealis faintly shine over the North Cascades of Washington state as the twilight colors fade from the sky.
    North-Cascades_Northern-Lights_0826.jpg
  • Upper Tahquamenon Falls, located in Tahquamenon Falls State Park in the upper peninsula of Michigan, flows through the thawing winter ice. The water of the Tahquamenon River appears brown or red because of tannic acid that results from the organic material generated by the cedar, hemlock and spruce forests along the river.
    MI_Tahquamenon-Falls_Frozen_1140.jpg
  • A hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) rests on a branch in the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington. Hairy woodpeckers forage on trees, turning over bark or excavating to uncover insects. They also eat fruits, berries and nuts, and occasionally tree sap.
    Woodpecker_Hairy_Arboretum_4395.jpg
  • A male Oregon junco (Junco hyemalis simillimus) rests on a maple tree that's displaying its red fall color. Oregon juncos, a type of dark-eyed juncos, are a unique type of sparrow that nests on or near the ground.
    Junco_Oregon_FallColor_Lynnwood_4865.jpg
  • Moss, ferns, and trees grow from a large rock outcropping near the Minister Valley in Allegheny National Forest in Warren, Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Front was once part of a vast delta and layers of a hard, sandstone congolomerate were deposited. Between 250 and 320 million years ago, the Allegheny Front was lifted, forming hills and mountains. Over time, erosion exposed, split, or dislodged and moved the former sedimentary rock, resulting in large rock outcroppings.
    PA_Allegheny_Outcropping_Roots_8652.jpg
  • The sun shines through the canopy of a second- or third-generation forest in the proposed addition to the Hickory Creek Wilderness in the Allegheny National Forest, Warren County, Pennsylvania.
    PA_Allegheny_Forest_Sunburst_8582.jpg
  • A common myna (Acridotheres tristis) rests on the frond of a coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) tree on the island of Maui, Hawai`i. The common myna, sometimes referred to as the Indian Myna or spelled mynah, is native to Asia, but is rapidly spreading its territory. Its native range spans southern Asia from Iran to Singapore, but the bird has since been introduced in many other parts of the world, including Australia, Hawaii, Canada, and islands in the Indian Ocean. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the myna one of the world's most invasive species.
    Myna_Common_PalmFrond_Maui_9532.jpg
  • A subadult bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flies against a blue sky over Ocean Shores, Washington. Bald eagles don't typically earn their pure white heads and tails until they are 4 or 5 years old.
    BaldEagle_SubadultFlying_OceanShores...jpg
  • An arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), displaying its white winter coat, looks out from behind a rock on the mossy hillside above Fossárvik in southeastern Iceland. The arctic fox is also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, though it displays its pure white form only in the winter months. Arctic foxes, found throughout the Arctic tundra, are small with a body length of less than 3 feet (85 cm). To survive in such a harsh environment, they have very deep fur and a rounded body shape, which minimizes the portion of their body that is exposed to the elements.
    Fox_Arctic_WinterCoat_MossyHillside_...jpg
  • A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) looks down at the trout it caught in Pattison Lake near Lacey, Washington. The scientific name of the bald eagle means sea eagle with a white head. While bald eagles are known to eat birds and small mammals, a number of studies conclude that fish make up 60 percent or more of their diets.
    BaldEagle_Trout_PattisonLake_7506.jpg
  • A male wood duck (Aix sponsa), called a drake, swims in a channel of the wetlands of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington. Wood ducks typically breed in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes or ponds, and creeks in the eastern United States and along the west coast from Washington state into Mexico.
    WoodDuck_DrakeSwimming_Arboretum_307...jpg
  • Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) feed or fight for food along the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, Washington. Several hundred bald eagles winter along the Nooksack and Skagit rivers in the North Cascades of Washington to feast on spawned out salmon.
    BaldEagles_NooksackRiver_FeedingActi...jpg
  • Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) feed or fight for food along the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, Washington. Several hundred bald eagles winter along the Nooksack and Skagit rivers in the North Cascades of Washington to feast on spawned out salmon.
    BaldEagles_NooksackRiver_Many_Guardi...jpg
  • Golden Larch trees (Pseudolarix amabilis) at the peak of their fall color line frame Liberty Bell Mountain (left) and the Early Winters Spires in the North Cascades of Washington state. Golden Larches, while not considered true larches, are known for shedding their needles each fall. The needles grow back each spring and transition from deep green to blue green over the course of the summer. In late September or early October, the needles turn golden and drop, just like the leaves on deciduous trees.
    NorthCascades_EarlyWintersLibertyBel...jpg
  • Golden Larch trees (Pseudolarix amabilis) at the peak of their fall color frame Blue Lake and several peaks near Washington Pass in the North Cascades of Washington state. Golden Larches, while not considered true larches, are known for shedding their needles each fall. The needles grow back each spring and transition from deep green to blue green over the course of the summer. In late September or early October, the needles turn golden and drop, just like the leaves on deciduous trees. Of the mountains in the cluster at left, Liberty Bell Mountain is the leftmost peak; the Early Winters Spires are the tight cluster of three peaks at the center of the mountains shown.
    NorthCascades_BlueLake_GoldenLarches...jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are found on a bluff in the Grand staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_HarrisWashUtah_4183.jpg
  • A harbor or harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as a common seal, swims between icebergs in Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon in Iceland. The harbor seal is Iceland's second-smallest seal, and one of only two types that pup there.
    Iceland_HarborSeal_Jokulsarlon_5620.jpg
  • A very large and bright rainbow seems to land on the summit of Badito Cone, a 8942 foot (2726 meter) peak in Huerfano County, Colorado. Badito Cone is one of several peaks that were formed by jets of magma that erupted from holes or cracks in the rock of that area about 25 million years ago.
    CO_Rainbow_BaditoCone_2282.jpg
  • A cumulus cloud grows larger and turns dark as a storm develops over Snohomish County, Washington. About a half hour after this image was taken, it began to hail. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin.
    Clouds_Cumulus_SnohomishCounty_6271.jpg
  • A cumulus cloud grows larger and turns dark as a storm develops over Snohomish County, Washington. About a half hour after this image was taken, it began to hail. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin.
    Clouds_Cumulus_SnohomishCounty_6264.jpg
  • A least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) feeds in a blackberry bush in Discovery Park, Seattle, Washington. Least flycatchers typically feed on insects, flying out from trees to catch them in flight or hovering over foliage. They also sometimes eat berries.
    Flycatcher_Least_Feeding_2315.jpg
  • A mammoth lenticular cloud nearly dwarfs Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain in Washington and the highest volcano in the Cascade Range. Lenticular clouds form when moist air is forced up and over mountains or other large obstructions. The moist air condenses and becomes a visible cloud as it rises. While lenticular clouds can hover directly over mountain peaks, they can form some distance away from the summit when the winds are strong.
    Rainier_Lenticular_BW_5711.jpg
  • Steam fog rises off one of the Reflection Lakes in Mount Rainier National Park as the still waters reflect a dramatic late summer sunrise. Steam fog, also known as evaporation fog, occurs when the air above is colder than the water in a lake or other body of water. Moist air rises from the water and is rapidly cooled to its saturation point, producing fog..
    ReflectionLakeSteam_3859.jpg
  • The midday sun shines over Sunrise, a high alpine meadow in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. At 6,400 feet (1,951 meters), the growing season is very short. The meadow is typically snow-covered for all but three or four months per year.
    Rainier_Sunrise_MiddaySun_9964.jpg
  • An osprey (Pandion haliaetus) hovers over Puget Sound near Everett, Washington, in search for fish. Osprey, also known as sea hawks or fish eagles, hover over water until they spot fish. They then plunge head and feet first to grab their prey. Barbed pads on their feet prevent slippery fish from getting away.
    Osprey_InFlight_6650.jpg
  • A boiling mudpot erupts at Sulphur Works in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Water from melting snow seeps into the ground above this mudpot, soaks through the soil and works down through cracks and fissures in the rock. Eventually, it touches hot rock and gasses in what used to be the main vent of Brokeoff Volcano, becomes superheated and returns to the surface as hot water or steam.
    Lassen_SulphurWorks_BoilingMudpot_58...jpg
  • Large pipes transport nearly boiling water away from the Svartsengi Power Plant in southwest Iceland. It is one of five major plants in Iceland that convert geothermal energy from volcanic sources to hot water or electricity. This plant produces 76.5 MW of electricity, and about 475 litres/second of 90 °C hot water. Excess hot water is used in the Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið).
    Iceland-Svartsengi-v.jpg
  • Hundreds of hoodoos that make up the Bryce Canyon amphitheater are lit at sunrise. Bryce Canyon is national park in Utah. The hoodoos, or spires, are remanants of large sandstone fins that have been subjected to centuries of erosion.
    BryceCanyonAmphitheaterTight.jpg
  • The Guadalupe Mountains of western Texas tower over the Salt Basin, a remnant of an ancient lake that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch between 10,000 and 1.8 million years ago. The lake, which at times was up to 37 feet deep, had no outlet. As the water evaporated, salt and gypsum accumulated. The old lake bed is now dry most of the year, collecting only an inch or so of water during exceptionally heavy rains. The Guadalupe Mountains, part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, are visible on the horizon. The iconic El Capitan (8085 feet/2464 meter) is visible at right. Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8749 feet (2667 meters) is immediately left of it.
    TX_GuadalupeMountains_SaltBasin_1250.jpg
  • The bark of an Arbutus tree, otherwise known as Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), peels in Strathcona National Park on Vancouver Island, Canada. Its bark peels in thin strips or flakes to reveal younger bark. Arbutus is the only native broadleaf evergreen tree in Canada.
    Arbutus_PeelingBark_4451.jpg
  • The petals, or rays, of a common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) form abstract patterns in this macro view, which is approximately five times life size.
    Dandelion_Flower_Macro_2734.jpg
  • A northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata) swims on a pond in the Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle, Washington. The northern shoveler seen here is a drake, or male, in his breeding plumage. Northern shovelers feed in shallow wetlands, using their distinctive spoon-shaped bills to scoop up and filter water to collect seeds, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates.
    Shoveler-Northern_Drake_Union-Bay_17...jpg
  • An approaching autumn storm is visible on the ampitheater cliffs in this view from Rainbow Point in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Bryce Canyon is known for its ampitheater full of hoodoos, or spires, are remanants of large sandstone fins that have been subjected to centuries of erosion.
    Bryce-Canyon_Rainbow-Point_Fall-Stor...jpg
  • A giant stack of lenticular clouds forms near the summit of Mount Rainier in Washington state in the golden light of sunset. Lenticular clouds form when moist air is forced up and over mountains or other large obstructions. The moist air condenses and becomes a visible cloud as it rises. While lenticular clouds can hover directly over mountain peaks, they can form some distance away from the summit when the winds are strong. Mount Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington state and the highest volcano in the Cascade Range.
    Rainier_Lenticular_Sunset_Sky-Island...jpg
  • American coots (Fulica americana) begin to take flight from an area where they were feeding on Lake Sammamish in Redmond, Washington. The American coot is also sometimes called a mud hen or pouldeau. This image was captured from Marymoor Park, a King County park that attracts more than 3 million visitors each year.
    Coots-American_Flock_Lake-Sammamish_...jpg
  • Badlands formations known as the Tepees in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, are turned golden red near sunset. Tepees, also spelled tipi or teepee, is a tent that is traditionally made of animal skins over wooden poles. While humans have lived for 13,000 years in and around the modern day Petrified Forest National Park, the native dwellings were more commonly pithouses and pueblos.
    AZ_Petrified-Forest_Tepees_Sunset_64...jpg
  • An American pipit (Anthus rubescens) poses with an insect that it caught above the tree line in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. American pipits are found in the tundra and on alpine slopes and they forage by walking on the ground, taking insects from the ground or from low plants.
    Pipit-American_Insect_RainierNP_4437.jpg
  • A few stars are visible in the sky as Old Faithful erupts at dawn in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. When Old Faithful erupts, it can launch as much as 8,400 gallons (32,000 liters) of boiling water as high as 185 feet (56 meters), although the average eruption height is 145 feet (44 meters). The time between eruptions is growing longer on average, possibly because earthquakes have affected underground water levels. The current interval is either 65 or 91 minutes depending on attributes of the prior eruption.
    Old-Faithful_Eruption_Dawn_Yellowsto...jpg
  • The sea arch Porte d'Aval and the sea stack L'Aiguille (the Needle) stand in the Atlantic Ocean next to the cliffs of Étretat in Normandy, France. Porte d'Aval is most-widely known of the three natural sea arches that have formed in the white chalk cliffs, known as the Falaise d'Étretat, which are as tall as 90 meters (300 feet). L'Aiguille, or the Needle, rises 70 meters (230 feet) above the sea.
    Etretat_Porte-d'Aval_L'Aiguille_9577.jpg
  • Hundreds of Vaux's swifts (Chaetura vauxi) circle then dive into the chimney at the Wagner Center in Monroe, Washington, during their fall migration. Vaux's swifts do not have back talons, so they cannot stand or perch. They roost by clinging to rough surfaces, mainly old-growth trees, but also old chimneys and smoke stacks that do not have smooth interior liners. As many as 26,000 Vaux's swifts have perched in the Monroe chimney at a time.
    Swifts_Vauxs_Chimney_Monroe_Motion_9...jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in a sandstone pothole in the Grand Staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_Pothole_HarrisWashUt...jpg
  • A waterfall known simply as Cascade or Waterval (respectively the French and Dutch words for waterfall) is a primary feature of Parc de Woluwé, a natural area near Brussels, Belgium.
    Brussels_Woluwe_Cascade_3452.jpg
  • Water at the base of the Parc de Woluwé waterfall near Brussels, Belgium, makes circular patterns as it waits for an opportunity to flow through a narrow channel downstream. The waterfall is simply known as cascade or waterval — the French and Dutch words for "waterfall." The park, close to Brussels, is located in the Woluwe-Saint-Pierre municipality.
    Brussels_Woluwe_Cascade_3484.jpg
  • Trees lining the banks of the largest pond in Parc des Sources, or Bronnenpark, are reflected on the water at dusk in Brussels, Belgium. The public park is known for its numerous springs — called sources, in French — which provide drinking water to the surrounding area. Parc des Sources is one of six major parks that are connected in an ecological corridor in Brussles. In Dutch, Parc des Sources is called Bronnenpark.
    Brussels_Parc-des-Sources_Pond_3474.jpg
  • Old Faithful, the most famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, erupts, sending a cloud of steam into the air that somewhat mimics the clouds in the sky. The geyser's eruptions are not as predictable as the name Old Faithful might suggest. Eruptions can occur as little as 45 minutes apart or with a gap as long as 125 minutes. The geyser's height also varies; at times the column of water can reach 184 feet (56 meters) high.
    Yellowstone_Old-Faithful_Erupting_30...jpg
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