Bottlenose Dolphins at Sunset, Honduras

 

Bottlenose Dolphins at Sunset, Honduras

“

You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth.

”

~ William W. Purkey ~

Aurora Borealis and Star Trails, Hammerfest, Norway

 

Aurora Borealis and Star Trails, Hammerfest, Norway

Each appearance of the northern lights is unique. Often you see three green bands across the night sky. Or the lights come as flickering curtains or rolling smoke. The colour is a luminous green, often with a hint of pink along the edge, and occasionally with a deep violet centre.

It is the sun that lies behind the formation of the auroras. During large solar explosions and flares, huge quantities of particles are thrown out of the sun and into deep space. When the particles meet the Earth's magnetic shield, they are led towards a circle around the magnetic North Pole, where they interact with the upper layers of the atmosphere. The energy which is then released is the northern lights. All this happens approximately 100 kilometres above our heads.

Dangriga, Belize

 

Dangriga, Belize

Dangriga is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean coast. It is home to the Garifuna, a cultural and ethnic group, descendants of shipwrecked slaves and native Caribs. The Garifuna have adopted the Carib language but kept their African musical and religious traditions. Dangriga is also where the Caribbean music, Punta Rock, originated and where some of Belize's folk bands can be found.

Bamboo Grove, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

 

Bamboo Grove, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Bamboo shoots are the sprouts that spring out beside the bamboo plant. These sprouts or shoots are edible and they are the largest and tallest in the grass family. Bamboo is also known to be one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. The fastest-growing species of bamboo is the Chinese Moso. It reportedly grows up to 100 cm per day.

The health benefits of bamboo shoots include healthy weight loss, control of bad cholesterol, strengthening of the immune system, possible cancer-fighting properties and anti-inflammatory properties. It is heart-friendly, contains protein, a sufficient supply of vitamins and minerals and a negligible amount of fat. It also contains a significant amount of dietary fibre.

Every part of the bamboo plant is put to use by Asian cultures and various ethnic groups. Bamboo is used for various other purposes ranging from construction, support for buildings, simple housing, bamboo furniture, musical instruments such as flutes, dizi, xiao, shakuhachi, and paper production. Thus, bamboo is one of the most utilized and versatile plants on the planet.

Pink Granite Coast, Le Gouffre, Brittany, France

 

Pink Granite Coast, Le Gouffre, Brittany, France

The Côte de Granit Rose or Pink Granite Coast is a stretch of coastline in the Côtes d'Armor department of northern Brittany, France. It stretches for more than thirty kilometres from Plestin-les-Grèves to Louannec, encompassing Trégastel. It has become a popular tourist destination due to its unusually pink sands and rock formations. This type of pink rock can only be found in two other places in the world, Corsica and China. 

Milky Way Over Laguna Animas, Chile

 

Milky Way Over Laguna Animas, Chile

Do you know how a star is born?

A group of very intelligent astronomers have been trying to figure this out for years. They've been mapping the presence of an aluminium isotope that’s almost always found in the region where a star forms or dies. Based on the way dust pockets of this aluminium have decayed, they estimate that the Milky Way gives birth to seven stars each year. And about twice a century, a large star bursts into a supernova.

Sugar Maple Trees in Fall Color, Connecticut

 

Sugar Maple Trees in Fall Color, Connecticut

In cold climates, Maple trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in the spring. Maple trees can be tapped by boring holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap. The sap is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.

Maple Tree, Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon

 

Maple Tree, Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon

Japanese Gardens are traditional gardens that create miniature idealized landscapes, often in a highly abstract and stylized way. The gardens of the Emperors and nobles were designed for recreation and aesthetic pleasure, while the gardens of Buddhist temples were designed for contemplation and meditation.

Polar Bear, Svalbard, Norway

Polar Bear, Svalbard, Norway

 1. Female Polar bears would rather build their dens in "old snow" from previous years rather than the freshly fallen snow.

2. Polar bear cubs learn to freeze and remain still while their mother hunts. If they move, the mother disciplines them, with a whack to the head.

3. Humans are polar bears only predator.

4. Some female polar bears deviate from the one-room den. They build dens with multiple rooms and even a ventilation system in the roof.

5. Female polar bears do not start having cubs until they are about 4 or 5 years old.