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  • The full moon sets behind Mount Baker as the light of sunrise turns the peak of the volcano's cone red. Located in the North Cascades, Mount Baker, at 10,781 feet (3,286 meters), is the third largest volcano in Washington. It last erupted in 1880.
    Mount-Baker_Full-Moon_Sunrise_1379.jpg
  • What appears to be a four-winged bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is one eagle attacking another from behind at the edge of Hood Canal near Seabeck, Washington. While bald eagles are highly skilled at catching fish, when they congregate, they tend to steal food from other eagles.
    BaldEagle_FourWings_Seabeck_4886.jpg
  • LaSalle Canyon Falls, a 20-foot (6-meter) waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois, freezes in winter. Viewed from behind, the ice thins as the icefall thaws and can become almost translucent, forming dramatic green and blue colors as the ice of varying thickness refracts sunlight to different degrees.
    Illinois_Starved-Rock_LaSalle-Canyon...jpg
  • LaSalle Canyon Falls, viewed from behind, begins to thaw in late winter in Starved Rock State Park near LaSalle, Illinois. The 20-foot (6-meter) waterfall can completely freeze in winter. As it thaws, the ice thins and can become almost translucent, forming dramatic green and blue colors as the ice of varying thickness refracts sunlight to different degrees. Here, part of the icefall has melted as is once again flowing as a waterfall.
    Illinois_Starved-Rock_LaSalle-Canyon...jpg
  • Water drips and ice falls from the cave behind LaSalle Canyon Falls as it begins to thaw in late winter in Starved Rock State Park near LaSalle, Illinois. The 20-foot (6-meter) waterfall can completely freeze in winter. Here, part of the icefall has melted as is once again flowing as a waterfall.
    Illinois_Starved-Rock_LaSalle-Canyon...jpg
  • LaSalle Canyon Falls, viewed from behind, begins to thaw in late winter in Starved Rock State Park near LaSalle, Illinois. The 20-foot (6-meter) waterfall can completely freeze in winter. As it thaws, the ice thins and can become almost translucent, forming dramatic green and blue colors as the ice of varying thickness refracts sunlight to different degrees. Here, part of the icefall has melted as is once again flowing as a waterfall.
    Illinois_Starved-Rock_LaSalle-Canyon...jpg
  • LaSalle Canyon Falls, a 20-foot (6-meter) waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois, freezes in winter. Viewed from behind, the ice thins as the icefall thaws and can become almost translucent, forming dramatic green and blue colors as the ice of varying thickness refracts sunlight to different degrees.
    Illinois_Starved-Rock_LaSalle-Canyon...jpg
  • The full moon sets behind Mount Baker as the light of sunrise turns the peak of the volcano's cone red. Located in the North Cascades, Mount Baker, at 10,781 feet (3,286 meters), is the third largest volcano in Washington. It last erupted in 1880.
    Mount-Baker_Full-Moon_Sunrise_Close_...jpg
  • The setting sun disappears behind a tilted tree on a rocky bluff bordering Sunset Beach on Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, Washington. Cypress Island, one of the San Juan Islands, is visible in the background at right across Rosario Strait.
    WA_Sunset-Beach_Tilted-Tree_Sunset_3...jpg
  • A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) crouches in the snow behind an old tree trunk to hunt birds in the Custer Gallatin National Forest near Cooke City, Montana.
    Fox-Red_Hunting_Winter_Gallatin-NF_7...jpg
  • An adult bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) watches over Lake Washington as the sun sets behind its perch in a tree in Kirkland, Washington.
    BaldEagle_Sunset_Silhouette_Kirkland...jpg
  • The sun rises behind storm clouds developing over the crater in Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii.
    maui-haleakala-storm-sunrise_2602.jpg
  • Vibrant fall color is visible from behind South Silver Falls, Oregon. The hillsides in the area of Silver Falls State Park were formed by a series of lava flows, which erode at different rates. Several of the middle layers are weaker than the top and bottom layers and have since eroded away, forming this cave behind the waterfall.
    SilverFallsBehindAutumn.jpg
  • Partially obscured by a smoky haze from wildfires, the sun prepares to set behind Whidbey Island in this view from Edmonds, Washington.
    Smoky-Sunset_Edmonds_3775.jpg
  • A double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) flies along Jetty Island in Everett, Washington, as the nearly full moon prepares to set behind the Olympic Mountains.
    JettyIsland_Olympics_Cormorant_Moon_...jpg
  • The sun sets behind one of the prominent sea stacks known as the Marin Headlands at Rodeo Beach, located in the Golden Gate National Recreational Area near San Francisco, California.
    CA_MarinHeadlands_Sunset_0140.jpg
  • Edith Creek flows over and around the rugged rocks behind Myrtle Falls in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
    MyrtleFalls_Close_9061.jpg
  • Several trees displaying their autumn colors are reflected in a pond behind an icy beaver dam at Schwabacher's Landing, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
    Tetons_BeaverPond_3205.jpg
  • Golden sunlight filters through the forest behind a barred owl (Strix varia) in Edmonds, Washington. Barred owls feed mainly on small mammals, but will also prey upon other birds, reptiles, invertibrates and amphibians if the opportunity presents itself.
    Owl_Barred_Golden-Highlights_Yost_38...jpg
  • The sun sets behind Mount St. Helens, rendering it in silhouette in this view from Mount Adams, Washington.
    StHelens_silhouette.jpg
  • A burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is rendered in near silhouette as the sun rises behind its perch on a rock pile in Grant County, Washington.
    Owl-Burrowing_Silhouette_Ephrata_184...jpg
  • Snow-dusted fall color lines a ridge overlooking several mountains in the Tatoosh Range in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. Unicorn Peak, with an elevation of 6,971 feet (2,125 meters), is the highest peak in the Tatoosh Range and is visible on the right. West Unicorn Peak, with an elevation of 6,840 feet (2,080 meters), is the second-highest peak in the range and is in the center of the image, partially hidden behind Foss Peak, which is 6,522 feet (1,988 meters) tall. The Tatoosh Range is a sub-range of the Cascade Range.
    RainierNP_Tatoosh-Range_Fall-Color_5...jpg
  • As the sun sets behind the Olympic Mountains, the red last light of day lights up the underside of clouds over Puget Sound and Marina Beach in this view from Edmonds, Washington.
    Edmonds_Marina-Beach_Stormy-Sunset_8...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 dramatic sunset colors the sky behind large sea stacks in Rodeo Cove located in the Marin Headlands near San Francisco, California. The Marin Headlands are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
    Marin-Headlands_Rodeo-Cove_Sea-Stack...jpg
  • The late evening sun lights up golden flowers and driftwood just before it sets behind the Olympic Mountains in this view from Richmond Beach, Shoreline, Washington.
    Richmond-Beach_Sunset_Driftwood_Wild...jpg
  • The late evening sun lights up golden flowers and driftwood just before it sets behind the Olympic Mountains in this view from Richmond Beach, Shoreline, Washington.
    Richmond-Beach_Sunset_Driftwood_Wild...jpg
  • The moon partially eclipses the sun as it passes behind cumulus clouds over Snohomish County, Washington. The October 23, 2014 partial solar eclipse was visible over much of North America.
    Sun_PartialEclipse_3656.jpg
  • Delicate Arch, reddened by the setting sun, frames the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah. Delicate Arch is a 65-foot-tall (20 meters) freestanding natural arch located in Arches National Park. Delicate Arch is comprised of Entrada Sandstone and formed the same way other arches formed in the national park. It began as a sandstone fin, which was gradually worn away by weathering and erosion, leaving the arch behind.
    ArchesNP_DelicateArch_F02_2576-04.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) regurgitates food for its two young eaglets, which are hidden behind the wall of the nest in Kirkland, Washington. Both bald eagle parents take turns protecting and feeding the eaglets.
    BaldEagles_Nest_Parents_Regurgitate_...jpg
  • Sycamore Creek, a tributary of the Verde River, flows through Sycamore Canyon near Williams, Arizona. Sycamore Canyon, which is 21 miles (34 kilometers) long, is the second largest canyon in Arizona's redrock country, behind only Oak Creek Canyon. This scene was captured from Sycamore Point.
    AZ_SycamoreCanyon_8793.jpg
  • Mount Constance, far left, and neighboring peaks in the Olympic Mountains of Washington state are visible between a layer of low clouds and fog. Mount Constance has an elevation of 7,756 feet (2,364 meters). The full moon is beginning to set behind the clouds in this view from Seattle.
    Olympics_MountConstance_Fog_Moon.jpg
  • A hole-punch cloud is typically formed when an airplane passes through altocumulus clouds. Altocumulus clouds are made up of small, super cooled water droplets. When aircraft pass through these clouds, the rapid pressure changes they cause can cool the air further. That, in turn, causes the water droplets to form heavy ice crystals, which then drop from the sky, leaving behind a "hole punch." This hole-punch cloud was observed in Thurston County, Washington. Hole-punch clouds are also sometimes called sky-punch clouds.
    Cloud_HolePunch_1831.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
  • Rocks, shell fragments and other beach debris helps to illustrate the path of the wind at Bandon, Oregon. The wind, blowing from right to left in this image, is blocked by the obstacles. Sand piles up in the wake that develops behind each obstacle.
    Bandon_WindPatterns_9220.jpg
  • A shape resembling a volcano is visible on the wall of Subway Cave, a lava tube formed 30,000 years ago in California's Hat Creek Valley. The tube itself was formed when the top portion of the lava flow cooled to a hard crust while allowing hot lava to flow underneath. Eventually, the lava flow stopped, leaving behind the shell. This formation resulted from hot lava dripping from the ceiling of the tube.
    CA_SubwayCave_VolcanoShape_3617.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
  • The sun prepares to set behind Mount Constance and other peaks in the Olympic Range in this view from Edmonds, Washington. Mount Constance, with an elevation of 7,756 feet (2364 meters), is the tallest mountain on the eastern edge of the Olympic Mountains, and the third-highest peak in the range. Warrior Peak is located immediately to its right. The sun is casting a golden glint on the water of Puget Sound.
    Olympics_Sunset_Puget-Sound_Edmonds_...jpg
  • A gull flies over as the sun begins to set behind Little James Island in Olympic National Park, Washington.
    OlympicNP_Rialto-Beach_Little-James-...jpg
  • Water collects in a small pool in a ravine in the Superstition Wilderness near Gold Canyon, Arizona. The water source in the Sonoran Desert was important to the Native American Hohokam people, who settled in the area as early as 500 A.D. The Hohokams left behind some petroglyphs, which are visible on the rocks in the upper left corner of the image.
    Superstition-Wilderness_Hieroglyphic...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
  • The dunes in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, make up the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite.
    NM_WhiteSands_DuneField_1280.jpg
  • A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1299.jpg
  • A Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) preens itself in the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge near Kehei, Maui, Hawaii. The Hawaiian stilt, or ae'o in Hawaiian, is an endangered subspecies of the black-necked stilt and has the longest legs in proportion to its body of any bird in the world. Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is a coastal salt marsh. During the rainy winter season, the pond swells to more than 400 acres. It shrinks to about half that size in the dry summer, leaving a slaty residue behind as it dries out.
    Stilt_Hawaiian_Preening_KealiaPond_M...jpg
  • A young feral horse (Equus caballus) hides behind another in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Wild horses have been found in the badlands of western North Dakota since the middle of the 19th century; approximately 100 now live in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
    Horses_Wild_RooseveltNP_1949.jpg
  • The full moon begins to set behind the Teton Range as fog forms at night in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The Teton Range is the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains, forming between 6 to 9 million years ago. The peaks are fault-block mountains, caused by tilting along the fault where they formed. Grand Teton, visible to the left of the moon, is 13,775 feet (4,199 meters) high. Grand Teton National Park contains another nine peaks that are at least 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) above sea level.
    Tetons_FullMoon_Night_3124.jpg
  • Puget Sound and the rocky beach at Mukilteo catch the last light of day as the sun sets behind Whidbey Island, Washington. A long exposure blurs the movement of the waves on Puget Sound.
    MukilteoBeach_WideView_Twilight_1188.jpg
  • Golden Larch trees (Pseudolarix amabilis) at the peak of their fall color frame Whistler Mountain (left) and Cutthroat Peak in the North Cascades of Washington state. The half moon begins to set behind Cutthroat Pass. 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_CutthroatPass_GoldenLa...jpg
  • A natural nighttime pillar of light known as the Zodiacal Light shines above and is reflected in Crater Lake, Oregon. The Zodiacal Light results from the sun shining on dust particles left behind by comets. The dust particles - the largest of which are believed to be just 0.3 mm and miles from its nearest neighboring particle - orbit the sun in a range from Mars to beyond Jupiter. Visible year-round in the tropics, the Zodiacal Light is best viewed immediately around the spring and fall solstice farther from the equator. The planet Venus, the brightest object in the sky, is visible near the peak of the Zodiacal Light and is also reflected in Crater Lake. The Milky Way, visible on the right, intersects with the Zodiacal Light at the top-center of the image. Crater Lake, which is actually a caldera, formed when Mount Mazama erupted violently about 7,700 years ago, causing its summit to collapse. Subsequent eruptions sealed the caldera, trapping rain water and snowmelt, forming the lake, which has a maximum depth of 1,949 feet (594 meters). Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder code, is visible in the foreground.
    CraterLake_ZodiacalLight_9620.jpg
  • Smooth patches of a granite face, known as glacial polish, shine in the late afternoon sun near Olmsted Point in Yosemite National Park, California. Rocks and other materials get trapped on the bottom of glaciers. As glaciers move down the face of a rock, these materials become part of a very abrasive surface. Combined with the force from the glacier's tremendous weight, they are able to scour away sections of the rock face they travel over, leaving behind a smooth, shiny, polished finish.
    Yosemite_GlacialPolish_9137.jpg
  • The sun sets behind the Olympic Mountains, coloring the sky above Skagit Bay in this view from Fir Island, Washington. Camano Island is visible on the left; Whidbey Island is visible on the right.
    WA_FirIsland_Sunset_5534.jpg
  • A tall column of smoke rises behind Mount Jupiter from the Big Hump fire in the Olympic National Forest, Washington. The fire, which started August 31, 2011, had grown to 1,150 acres at the time this image was taken September 10th.
    Olympics_BigHumpFire_4570.jpg
  • The sun may be going down, but this surfer is headed out to ride the waves near Santa Cruz, California. Another surfer is visible behind his left shoulder.
    SurferSilhouette.jpg
  • A garden spider (Araneus diadematus) waits for insects to be caught in its large web in the Meadowdale forest near Everett, Washington. The web, lit from behind by the afternoon sun, displays a rainbow-like iridescence.
    SpiderWeb_Meadowdale_0481.jpg
  • Several gulls line the shore of Puget Sound at Mukilteo, Washington, as the sun sets behind the Olympic Mountains.
    Mukilteo_GullsPugetSoundSunset.jpg
  • A bright rainbow stretches across Skógafoss, located in southern Iceland. Skógafoss is one of Iceland's largest waterfalls, dropping 197 feet (60 meters). According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall; the waterfall is so powerful no one has been able to get it.
    Iceland_Skogafoss_7659.jpg
  • Subway Cave, located in Lassen National Forest, California, was formed 30,000 years ago by a lava flow in the Hat Creek Valley. During the flow, the top cooled and formed a hard crust while allowing hot lava to continue to flow underneath. Eventually, the lava stopped flowing, leaving behind this shell. Subway Cave is about a third of a mile (half a kilometer) in length.
    CA_SubwayCave_3590.jpg
  • A burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is rendered in near silhouette as the sun rises behind its perch on a rock pile in Grant County, Washington.
    Owl-Burrowing_Silhouette_Ephrata_182...jpg
  • Abstract shapes are left behind on an eroded sandstone wall near Landscape Arches National Park, Utah.
    Arches_Sandstone-Wall_Texture_5060.jpg
  • Fog hangs low over the East Fork Kimball Creek, hidden behind the trees, as the rising sun colors the clouds over the hills bordering Snoqualmie, Washington.
    WA_Snoqualmie-Valley_Morning-Fog_582...jpg
  • A killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) poses with its legs crossed in a pool of water left behind at low tide in the Stillaguamish River along Leque Island, Washington.
    Killdeer_Mud-Pool_Eide-Road_1189.jpg
  • Sunglint stretches across the water of Puget Sound as the sun sets behind the Olympic Mountains in this view from Marina Beach Park, Edmonds, Washington.
    Puget-Sound_Olympics_Sunglint_Edmond...jpg
  • A dramatic sunset colors the sky behind large sea stacks in Rodeo Cove located in the Marin Headlands near San Francisco, California. The Marin Headlands are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
    Marin-Headlands_Rodeo-Cove_Sea-Stack...jpg
  • A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1295.jpg
  • A gull flies over Mount Constance, a 7,756-foot (2,364-meter) mountain, as the full moon gets ready to set behind the Olympic Mountains in Washington state.
    Olympics_Mount-Constance_Full-Moon_1...jpg
  • The full moon is about to set behind Mount Baker just before sunrise at Artist Point in the North Cascades of Washington state. Mount Baker, at 10,781 feet (3,286 meters), is the third largest volcano in Washington and last erupted in 1880.
    Mount-Baker_Full-Moon_Artist-Point_1...jpg
  • An American crow flies as the full moon sets behind a forested ridge in Bothell, Washington.
    Moonset_Crow-Flying_Bothell_0568.jpg
  • The full moon sets behind a golden ridge along the Conata Basin in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
    BadlandsNP_ConataBasin_FullMoon_1716.jpg
  • A yucca plant grows on one of the white dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1266.jpg
  • Mount Baker towers over the turquoise-colored Baker Lake in this aerial view over Whatcom County, Washington. Mount Baker, which is 10,781 feet (3,286 meters) tall, has the second-most thermally active crater of any volcano in the Cascade Range, behind only Mount St. Helens. Baker Lake gets its turquoise color from glacial silt, which gets trapped in its water.
    Baker_BakerLake_Aerial_2349.jpg
  • A Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) wades in the water of the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge near Kehei, Maui, Hawaii. The Hawaiian stilt, or ae'o in Hawaiian, is an endangered subspecies of the black-necked stilt and has the longest legs in proportion to its body of any bird in the world. Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is a coastal salt marsh. During the rainy winter season, the pond swells to more than 400 acres. It shrinks to about half that size in the dry summer, leaving a slaty residue behind as it dries out.
    Stilt_Hawaiian_KealiaPond_Maui_1330.jpg
  • A Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) wades in the water of the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge near Kehei, Maui, Hawaii. The Hawaiian stilt, or ae'o in Hawaiian, is an endangered subspecies of the black-necked stilt and has the longest legs in proportion to its body of any bird in the world. Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is a coastal salt marsh. During the rainy winter season, the pond swells to more than 400 acres. It shrinks to about half that size in the dry summer, leaving a slaty residue behind as it dries out.
    Stilt_Hawaiian_KealiaPond_Maui_1786.jpg
  • The moon glows behind a coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera) as thousands of stars shine above Makena Beach on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Several major stars are visible in this image, including Pleiades, a tight cluster of blue stars that is visible just left of the largest palm tree on the right side of the image, and Aldebaran, a bright orange star near the top-center of the frame. Pleiades is also known as the Seven Sisters even though the cluster contains more than 1,000 stars; the nine brightest stars are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology and their parents. The star cluster is one of the closest to Earth and it formed within the last 100 million years. Both Aldebaran and Pleiades are located in the constellation Taurus.
    Hawaii_PalmTrees_Stars_Makena_6317.jpg
  • A pair of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are perched in a tree near the mouth of the Columbia River, Warrenton, Oregon. The quarter moon appears behind the eagle on the right.
    BaldEagles_PerchedPair_Moon_Warrento...jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in a small crack 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_4194.jpg
  • 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_4193.jpg
  • Smooth patches of a granite face, known as glacial polish, shine in the late afternoon sun near Olmsted Point in Yosemite National Park, California. Rocks and other materials get trapped on the bottom of glaciers. As glaciers move down the face of a rock, these materials become part of a very abrasive surface. Combined with the force from the glacier's tremendous weight, they are able to scour away sections of the rock face they travel over, leaving behind a smooth, shiny, polished finish.
    Yosemite_GlacialPolish_9156.jpg
  • The full moon sets behind Seymour Peak, located just east of Mount Rainier. This scene was captured from near Chinook Pass, Washington.
    SeymourPeak_ChinookPass.jpg
  • Dramatic limestone curtains form the ceiling of the Ruakuri Cave, located in Waitomo, New Zealand. These limestone curtains are a type of stalactite. Water drips from above, disolving limestone. Where the water evaporates, the limestone is left behind. The limestone curtains are formed along a line where water drips from several places.
    NZ_RuakuriCaveCurtains_1508.jpg
  • The full moon sets behind Mount St. Helens, which is framed by a dramatic fog falls and blooming summer wildflowers, including foxglove and Indian paintbrush.
    MountStHelensFogMoon.jpg
  • Life returns to the blast zone near Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Trees line a large pond. Large hummocks -- hills of volcanic debris -- are visible behind the pond.
    MountStHelens_Hummocks_Pond_6807.jpg
  • The midday sun shines behind the cross atop Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church and prominent landmark in Reykjavík, Iceland. Icelandic architect Guðjón Samúelsson designed the church to resemble the basalt columns found around Iceland. Construction of Hallgrímskirkja took 38 years, reaching completion in 1986. Also visible in this image is a Leif Eriksson Memorial, which the United States gave to Iceland in 1930 to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament at Þingvellir.
    Iceland_Hallgrímskirkja_9898.jpg
  • Subway Cave, located in Lassen National Forest, California, was formed 30,000 years ago by a lava flow in the Hat Creek Valley. During the flow, the top cooled and formed a hard crust while allowing hot lava to continue to flow underneath. Eventually, the lava stopped flowing, leaving behind this shell. Subway Cave is about a third of a mile (half a kilometer) in length.
    CA_SubwayCave_3606.jpg
  • The moon sets behind Alpha Mountain, a 2305-meter (7562-feet) peak in Tantalus Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. The mountain is located near the town of Brackendale.
    BC_AlphaMountain_4000.jpg
  • Two bald eagles roost in a bare tree in Washington's Skagit Valley as the nearly full moon rises behind them. Hundreds of bald eagles winter in the Skagit Valley where they can feast on spawned out salmon in the Skagit River.
    BaldEaglesMoon_7109.jpg
  • A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) fledgling prepares for its first flight by sitting at the end of its nest. Earlier, the eaglet tested its wings. Some of its down is visible, stuck in the branch behind its head.
    BaldEagle_Fledgling_3886.jpg
  • Water flows into a small pool in a ravine in the Superstition Wilderness near Gold Canyon, Arizona. The water source in the Sonoran Desert was important to the Native American Hohokam people, who settled in the area as early as 500 A.D. The Hohokams left behind some petroglyphs, which are visible on the rocks in the top center of the image.
    Superstition-Wilderness_Hieroglyphic...jpg
  • The sun sets behind a hill overlooking a field of cholla cacti in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
    NM_Abiquiu_Cholla_Sunset_6702.jpg
  • Steam rises from Orange Spring Mount, a hot spring in the Mammoth area of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Orange Spring Mound is a large cone-type hot spring, composed of hot-spring deposits. It has a fissure ridge that extends from one side to the other, serving as a dam behind which travertine deposits accumulate.
    Yellowstone_Orange-Spring-Mound_1531.jpg
  • Molten pahoehoe lava flows at the end of a lava tube in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Pahoehoe is the hottest – and most liquid – form of basaltic lava. This ropy pahoehoe results with the thin crust partially solidifies. Lava continues to flow behind it, pushing and folding it, not unlike an accordion.
    HI_Volcanoes_Pahoehoe_8679.jpg
  • The white sand dunes of White Sand Dunes National Monument, New Mexico, appear blue and purple after sunset, reflecting the twilight sky. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_Fiery-Sunset_1036.jpg
  • A murder of thousands of crows takes flight at the first light of day from their roost in Bothell, Washington. The full moon is beginning to set behind a forested ridge.
    Crows_Murder-In-Flight_Moon_Bothell_...jpg
  • A murder of thousands of crows takes flight at the first light of day from their roost in Bothell, Washington. The full moon is beginning to set behind a forested ridge.
    Crows_Murder-In-Flight_Moon_Bothell_...jpg
  • Several slash pine trees (Pinus elliotti) are rendered in silhouette as the sun sets behind the Pinelands of the Florida Everglades. Pine trees cannot survive if submerged for extended periods, and therefore grow only at the highest elevations in the Everglades – which are only a few feet higher than the lowest points. Slash pine trees are specially adapted to survive fires, however, which destroy invasive species.
    Everglades_Pinelands_Sunset_3379.jpg
  • Delicate Arch, reddened by the setting sun, frames the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah. Delicate Arch is a 65-foot-tall (20 meters) freestanding natural arch located in Arches National Park. Delicate Arch is comprised of Entrada Sandstone and formed the same way other arches formed in the national park. It began as a sandstone fin, which was gradually worn away by weathering and erosion, leaving the arch behind.
    ArchesNP_DelicateArch_F02_2576-02.jpg
  • The half moon prepares to set behind Cutthroat Pass located in the North Cascades of Washington state. The pass is named for Cutthroat Peak, the 8050 foot (2454 meter) peak visible in the right half of this image.
    NorthCascades_CutthroatPass_HalfMoon...jpg
  • The sun sets behind the rim of Crater Lake in this view from the Cloud Cap Overlook in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Crater Lake, which is actually a caldera, formed when Mount Mazama erupted violently about 7,700 years ago, causing its summit to collapse. Subsequent eruptions sealed the caldera, trapping rain water and snowmelt, forming the lake, which has a maximum depth of 1,949 feet (594 meters). Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder cone, is visible in the lake just beneath the sun; Phantom Ship, another remnant of volcanic activity, is visible as an island on the left side of the image.
    CraterLake_CloudCap_Sunset_9744.jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in cracks 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_4202.jpg
  • This close-up shows the texture of the steep rock wall behind Lower Twin Falls near North Bend, Washington. The entire waterfall drops 135 feet (41 meters).
    TwinFalls_NorthBend_CloseUp_7126.jpg
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