Category: Nature
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Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world
The high-altitude salt flat of Salar de Uyuni in southwest Bolivia creates the world’s biggest natural mirror. The flat sits near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of 11,995 ft above sea level. Considered one of the flattest surfaces on Earth (4,086 sq mi), the salt flat, also known as the “Mirror of…
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Asperitas clouds form rippling waves in the sky
There are all types of stunning clouds — Lenticular, Mammatas — to name a couple. But the asperitas clouds take center stage. These clouds, which are dark and storm-like, look like Van Gogh painted waves in the sky. Asperitas clouds form in the wake of thunderstorms like Mammatus clouds, yet unlike the latter, asperitas clouds…
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Hooker’s Lips is the world’s most kissable plant
The tropical plant Psychotria Elata aka ‘hooker’s lips’ or ‘Hot Lips,’ is Latin America’s most kissable plant. Native to Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama, the shrub’s enchanting red bracts mimic a woman’s luscious lips. Some of nature’s shapes and colors are biologically universal — especially these juicy puckers, which have also developed the nickname “Mick…
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Pyrocumulus cloud erupts in California wildfire near Yosemite
A strong and fast-moving wildfire broke out in Mariposa County, California this weekend, burning 6,550 acres and threatening Yosemite National Park. The Oak Fire started on Friday evening in the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and destroyed 10 structures overnight. The sprawling bush fire is now threatening 2,000 more structures, including some of the…
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The beautiful and secretive Agami Heron
The Agami Heron might be one of the most beautiful birds in the world. It’s undoubtedly one of the most unseen. The reclusive bird resides in the wetland habitats of Central America, stretching south to Peru and Brazil. One would think its elaborate plumage and a silvery splash of neck plumes would make it easy…
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The Wave in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located in North Coyote Buttes of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on the Arizona and Utah borders. The swirling stone waves combine water and wind-eroded sandstone dunes, calcified vertically and horizontally, and fossilized over 190 million years. The rich red-vermilion rocks get their colors from iron oxide pigments. Only 20…
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Germany’s “Devil’s Bridge” makes a spectacular optical illusion
The Devil’s Bridge (Rakotzbrücke) is a 19th-century stone bridge located in the 200-acre Rhododendron Park in Kromlau, Saxony, Germany. Legend says that not only did the devil build the structure, but Satan himself should be the only one to cross it. After all, it looks like a passageway to another world or, even more mysteriously, a massive…
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Meet the Eye of Earth, Croatia’s Cetina Cave Spring
The Eye of Earth is a karst spring located in Croatia’s Mount Dinara Nature Park. The lake has a unique blend of blue and emerald-green colors. Its elliptical shape makes it look like a dragon’s eye from above. The small body of water is the primary source of the Cetina River, which flows from the…