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Nature Photography

One of the largest sprite bursts to ever be caught on camera flashes in the sky over Puerto Rico, October 1, 2016.

Vibrant Lightning Sprites Spark Above Hurricane Matthew

A photographer’s good eye captures an elusive phenomenon

"Butterflies and caiman," by Mark Cowan. Special commendation: Butterflies suck the salt off of an Amazonian caiman's head.

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Royal Society Photo Contest Winners Capture Breathtaking Details of Our Rapidly Changing World

Winning photos capture moments of stark change in the natural world in the Royal Society’s second annual contest

The fragile crystals are created when alcohol dries.

Art Meets Science

These Stunning Images Capture the Unseen Beauty of Booze

Drink to the magic of polarized light microscopy

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941 Photograph by Ansel Adams Vintage gelatin silver print Collection Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona

Cool Finds

New Exhibition Shares Rare Ansel Adams Photos of the American West

See breathtaking early works by the iconic photographer

Visitors cast shadows on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, at sunrise.

From Our Photo Contest: Soak Up the Beauty of America’s National Parks

2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service. Enjoy these standout images submitted by our photo community

Shifen Waterfall in Pingsi Township, Taiwan.

Sponsor Content: Taiwan

Seven Gorgeous Waterfalls to Chase in Taiwan

Rainbows, records and golden water make these majestic falls a can’t-miss

Photographer Neil Ever Osborne photographed king penguins in the Falkland Islands at the height of breeding season.

Shooting Penguins in the Falkland Islands to Save Them

Photographer Neil Ever Osborne hopes that his work helps save the species

Hal Rumel, Red Canyon, near Entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, ca. 1940

How Photography Shaped America’s National Parks

Jamie M. Allen explores how conservation and consumerism have impacted America’s natural heritage

Watkins photographed vistas like the valley’s Half Dome.

How an Obscure Photographer Saved Yosemite

The beauty of the national park became clear long before Ansel Adams

Oceanic whitetip, Cat Island, March 2014 (Instagram: michaelmuller7)

This Photographer Shoots Sharks to Save Them

When he’s not creating movie posters, Michael Muller swims among the oceanic predators, capturing stunning images

A rainbow can be spotted in the mists of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with an exploration of the planet's most colorful places?

Cool Finds

Celebrate Earth Day With a Rainbow of Spectacular Photos

Nature’s palette is unparalleled

The green color of the superb startling’s wing feathers is produced by microscopically structured surfaces that interfere with and scatter light.

Art Meets Science

The Extravagant Beauty of Feathers

A new book spotlights the astonishing diversity of avian plumage

Perhaps Magnolia rzedowskiana should be renamed Magnolia interneta.

Cool Finds

Two New Flower Species Were Discovered Online

These naturalists didn’t know one another—but that didn’t keep them from discovering two new magnolias together

Paul Johnson explores "landthropology" through his nature photography.

Cool Finds

This Designer Makes Animations With Nature

Paul Johnson turns Twin Cities landscapes into hypnotic stop-motion

Cool Finds

Watch a Stunning Time-Lapse of Cave-Bound Glowworms

These New Zealand sparklers aren’t stars—they’re insects

Otherworldly Photos From Inside One of the World’s Largest River Caves

Studded with cave pearls and home to elusive giant spiders, this cave is one of Laos’ hidden treasures

During the first two years of the team's studies, snow sealed the entrance to Snow Dragon cave. But in recent years, low snowpack has kept the entrance open year-round.

Cool Finds

Behold the Beauty of Disappearing Glacier Ice Caves on Mt. Hood

Catch them before they’re gone — these tunnels and caverns may soon melt away

Category winner, Behavior: A school of tropical clupeid fish swim in sync, keeping a healthy distance from a teenage black-tip reef shark in the Rasdhoo Atoll, Republic of Maldives. Though the sharks cruise placidly for hours without so much as a glance at the fish, they strike suddenly, gobbling up a mouthful of fish.

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A Tadpole’s Perspective and More “Life Through a Lens” Images

Ogle the images from winners of the Royal Society’s photography contest

2015 Grand Prize Winner Atlantic Puffin with Wild Iris, by Megan Lorenz, Elliston, Newfoundland, Canada. "Perched precariously on the edge of a cliff trying desperately to overcome my fear of heights,' says Megan Lorenz, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, "I watched this Atlantic Puffin pull a Wild Iris from the ground and walk along the cliff toward me. He stopped for a moment and I had enough time to capture him with the blue sky in the background before he dropped the Iris over the side where his mate was waiting at the burrow entrance."

A Taste of “The Best of the Best” Nature Photography

Take a trip around the world with these breathtaking images of nature

Pepper, the southern boobook. The southern boobook is Australia’s smallest and most common owl. It gets its name from the sound of its hoot.

Bird Watching Has Never Been More Fun

These photos by portraitist Leila Jeffreys are for the birds

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