Daily Pic (Chiribiquete National Natural Park)

November 16, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Ancient art in the Amazon

The stone walls of the tepuis (table-top mountains) in Chiribiquete National Natural Park are decorated with more than 75,000 paintings, some created as long as 20,000 years ago, others in the present day. The jaguar is a recurring motif in the images. Historians think the rock paintings of the big cat are expressions of jaguar worship by the indigenous tribes who have lived in the broader area for millennia. This park protects and preserves a 17,000-square-mile expanse of the Colombian Amazon, with a diverse ecosystem supporting many endemic species. In addition, officials believe that Chiribiquete could be home for various indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation, the descendants of those who painted the ancient rock art. Both the human cultural history of this place and the extraordinarily pristine natural beauty of the landscape are what earned Chiribiquete UNESCO World Heritage status this year—the rare location to meet both cultural and natural criteria for inclusion on the UN’s list.

Daily Pic ^11/16/17

View of Bacuit Bay from El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

Daily Pic (Lewis and Clark Expedition)

November 15, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

‘Ocian in view! O! The joy.’ – William Clark

At Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, you can walk in the steps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who arrived at the Pacific near the mouth of the Columbia River on this day in 1805. It was 1 year, 6 months, and a day after the Corps of Discovery left St. Louis, Missouri, on its mission to explore the Pacific Northwest. Upon seeing the ocean, Clark wrote in his journal: ‘Ocian in view! O! The joy.’ (Clark’s journal was full of misspellings.)

Shortly after arriving on the West Coast, the expedition voted to spend the winter near present-day Astoria, where they constructed Fort Clatsop. Today, the areas where Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific and constructed Fort Clatsop are preserved in the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, which include Ecola State Park, seen here. It’s a popular destination for visitors hoping to learn more about this pivotal chapter in American history while also enjoying the scenic Oregon coast.

Daily Pic ^11/15/17

Newly planted olive groves, Zaghouan, Tunisia

Daily Pic (Oscar-Claude Monet)

November 14, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Monet still makes an impression

Was there frost in your neighborhood this morning? More than 100 years ago, Impressionist painter Claude Monet painted this wintry scene, called ‘The Frost,’ in the French commune of Vétheuil, where he lived from 1878 to 1881. We’re showing it today in honor of his birthday. Monet is considered a father of Impressionism, the artistic movement characterized by thin brushstrokes and depicting the visual impression of the moment–especially in terms of light and color. The term ‘Impressionism’ derives from a review of Monet’s painting ‘Impression, Sunrise,’ which he exhibited in 1874. Happy birthday, Claude!

Daily Pic ^11/14/17

Rosendale Trestle, Rosendale, New York

Daily Pic (Kermode Bear) Spirit of the Rainforest

November 13, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Spirit of the rainforest

The Kermode bear, often called the ‘spirit bear’ due to its ghostly appearance, isn’t albino. It’s a subspecies of black bear, born with pigmented skin and eyes, but a genetic mutation produces no pigment in the fur. Two black bears with dark fur can produce a Kermode cub, while a Kermode parent doesn’t guarantee a Kermode offspring. Spirit bears haunt the moss-covered territory of the Great Bear Rainforest, which is where our homepage photo was taken, but others have been documented in the greater coastal region of British Columbia. Nature, your lovely weirdness wins again.

Daily Pic ^11/13/17

Planetarium, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt

Daily Pic (DC War Memorial)

November 12, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Honoring those who served

Located near the Lincoln Memorial in West Potomac Park, the DC War Memorial honors citizens of the District of Columbia who served in World War I. It was dedicated in 1931 on Armistice Day, the observance now known as Veterans Day in the US, and is inscribed with the names of the 499 DC residents who died in the war. Built entirely of marble, it was designed to be large enough to accommodate the entire US Marine Band. That way, the structure could be both a memorial and a bandstand, with concerts that would pay tribute to those who served and sacrificed in the war. While Veterans Day was officially observed yesterday, many Americans have today off from work or school. How are you spending the day?

Daily Pic ^11/12/17

Secretarybird in Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa

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