2021-02-14
Ocean waves crashing over a heart-shaped rock island off the coast of Sydney, Australia (© Kristian Bell/Getty Images)
海浪冲击着悉尼海岸的一个心形岩石岛，澳大利亚 (© Kristian Bell/Getty Images)
Just off the coast of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia, the surf crashes over this cluster of rocks, sending an oceanic Valentine's Day card to a lucky bird—or photographer—flying overhead. We'll take nature's love letters wherever and whenever we can find them. But what makes February 14 the day we celebrate love? Some claim Valentine's Day has its roots in an ancient Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia that included goat sacrifices and a lottery that paired off eligible men and women. Others argue that the holiday began with Christians celebrating a martyr named Valentine. Chaucer romanticized the day with a poem about two birds mating for life. No matter its pagan or Christian origins, in the modern world, Valentine's Day is celebrated most everywhere as a day devoted to love.
Ocean waves crashing over a heart-shaped rock island off the coast of Sydney, Australia (© Kristian Bell/Getty Images)
海浪冲击着悉尼海岸的一个心形岩石岛，澳大利亚 (© Kristian Bell/Getty Images)
Just off the coast of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia, the surf crashes over this cluster of rocks, sending an oceanic Valentine's Day card to a lucky bird—or photographer—flying overhead. We'll take nature's love letters wherever and whenever we can find them. But what makes February 14 the day we celebrate love? Some claim Valentine's Day has its roots in an ancient Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia that included goat sacrifices and a lottery that paired off eligible men and women. Others argue that the holiday began with Christians celebrating a martyr named Valentine. Chaucer romanticized the day with a poem about two birds mating for life. No matter its pagan or Christian origins, in the modern world, Valentine's Day is celebrated most everywhere as a day devoted to love.
2021-02-15
Onkaparinga River, Port Noarlunga, South Australia (© plainpicture/AWL/Marco Bottigelli)
安加白令嘉河与诺朗加港，南澳大利亚州 (© plainpicture/AWL/Marco Bottigelli)
Where does this seemingly endless staircase lead? To the mighty Onkaparinga River, of course – a true South Australian highlight. The river itself is crucially important to the area’s ecosystem, acting as a beautiful home to a variety of fish that breed here, as well as hundreds of native plants and animal species. The Onkaparinga River estuary is even seen a habitat for endangered migratory birds.
Onkaparinga River, Port Noarlunga, South Australia (© plainpicture/AWL/Marco Bottigelli)
安加白令嘉河与诺朗加港，南澳大利亚州 (© plainpicture/AWL/Marco Bottigelli)
Where does this seemingly endless staircase lead? To the mighty Onkaparinga River, of course – a true South Australian highlight. The river itself is crucially important to the area’s ecosystem, acting as a beautiful home to a variety of fish that breed here, as well as hundreds of native plants and animal species. The Onkaparinga River estuary is even seen a habitat for endangered migratory birds.
2021-02-16
Flowers and ironwork fence in front of a house in New Orleans, Louisiana (© Lauren Mitchell/Offset by Shutterstock)
屋前的鲜花和铁艺围栏，路易斯安那州新奥尔良 (© Lauren Mitchell/Offset by Shutterstock)
While the purple flowers and green ironwork may not look overly festive to the untrained eye, residents of New Orleans will no doubt spot the significance of both, especially today, on Mardi Gras, the final day of Carnival. Purple and green are two of the three official colors of Mardi Gras, together with gold, and in a normal year the streets would be full of revelers decked out in all three colors as they dance and parade down the streets of the city. Due to COVID-19, there won't be any parades this year, but the colors will still be on full display in the city's famous French Quarter and elsewhere, including as colorful icing atop king cakes, a beloved treat that's associated with the Carnival season.
Flowers and ironwork fence in front of a house in New Orleans, Louisiana (© Lauren Mitchell/Offset by Shutterstock)
屋前的鲜花和铁艺围栏，路易斯安那州新奥尔良 (© Lauren Mitchell/Offset by Shutterstock)
While the purple flowers and green ironwork may not look overly festive to the untrained eye, residents of New Orleans will no doubt spot the significance of both, especially today, on Mardi Gras, the final day of Carnival. Purple and green are two of the three official colors of Mardi Gras, together with gold, and in a normal year the streets would be full of revelers decked out in all three colors as they dance and parade down the streets of the city. Due to COVID-19, there won't be any parades this year, but the colors will still be on full display in the city's famous French Quarter and elsewhere, including as colorful icing atop king cakes, a beloved treat that's associated with the Carnival season.