Bing Wallpaper Archive - Daily Desktop Backgrounds

What happens when the darkest night of the year gets the brightest celebration? Diwali. The Festival of Lights is celebrated by millions worldwide, bringing together diyas, lanterns, rangoli, prayers, sweets, and family gatherings.

When the going gets tough, the bison gets grazing. National Bison Day celebrates the North American mammal that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds yet sprint at 35 mph. Observed on the first Saturday of November, the day honors the bovine that became the United States' national mammal in 2016.

A volcano, a rainforest, and a bamboo grove? Haleakalā National Park on Maui has all three. Spanning Maui from its 10,023-foot summit to the coast, the park protects landscapes that change dramatically with elevation, rainfall, and temperature. It was established in 1916 as part of Hawaii National Park and became its own national park in 1961. The name Haleakalā translates to 'House of the Sun,' reflecting the Hawaiian mo'olelo of Māui capturing the sun to lengthen the day.

A simple wooden stile leads into one of England's most celebrated landscapes. The Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a patchwork of shimmering lakes, rugged fells, and centuries-old stone walls, all shaped by both nature and farming traditions.

People paddle through a glowing maze of bald cypress in Xuancheng, Anhui, where autumn transforms flooded woodlands into a tapestry of amber, copper, and deep rust. Known scientifically as 'Taxodium distichum,' bald cypress is unusual among conifers because it sheds its soft, feathery needles each fall, turning reddish-brown before they drop. In North America, it is famous for thriving in swamps, floodplains, and other wet habitats, often developing knobby root projections called 'knees' that rise above the surrounding soil and water.

Tucked among the peaks of the Dolomites, Lake Braies sits nearly 5,000 feet above sea level in northern Italy. Its green and blue waters are framed by forest and the mountains of Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park. Visitors can follow a two-mile trail around the shore or head out onto the water in one of the lake's traditional wooden rowboats. It's also a great place to begin exploring the surrounding mountains, with several hiking routes starting here, including the famous Alta Via 1.

While November might bring us a step closer to the holiday season, polar bears have other plans. They gather along the shores of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, waiting for sea ice to form so they can head back out to hunt seals. That annual spectacle inspired Polar Bear Week, observed during the first week of November, a celebration of the Arctic's largest land predator. Polar bears are powerful swimmers, expert hunters, and remarkably adapted to life in one of Earth's harshest environments. Yet shrinking sea ice means many spend longer on land, making it harder to find food and raising the risk of encounters with people.

A basket can carry far more than its contents. The Native American basketry seen here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, points to a much bigger story: a rich variety of techniques and designs developed by communities across the country. Their materials, patterns, and styles reflect their places of origin, turning everyday objects into records of local knowledge and identity.

Forget the fog machine. Frankfurt, Germany, has something far more effective: a Gothic cathedral with a tower that looks ready for a midnight séance. St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, seen here, has the medieval silhouette Halloween practically ordered for itself. But the holiday's own history is even stranger.