The Detroit Public Schools Book Depository has been abandoned since a fire struck the building in 1987. “No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher’s dirty looks.” Photo #2 by Thomas Hawk

Summer’s almost here, abandoned school in Detroit. Photo #3 by Thomas Hawk

East wing at Rosewood State Training School aka Rosewood Center in Owings Mills, Maryland: The photographer noted, “Established in 1888 as an ‘asylum and training school for the feeble-minded,’ renamed Rosewood Training School in 1912, once occupied nearly 700 acres and housed more than 3,000 individuals. Downsized over the decades and closed in 2009.” Photo #4 by Forsaken Time

Rays of sun shining into a classroom at an abandoned reform school. Photo #5 by Luca Rossato

An old projector at an abandoned University in Belgium. Photo #6 by Sebastien Ernest

“Close the window please …” Urbex Belgium university. Photo #7 by Sebastien Ernest

Woodwork Department at Eastmoor Reformatory school, UK. The photographer wrote, “This room is a large one at the top of the building’s western quadrant. It features a large set of skylights, some of them broken, so grass and moss have begun to carpet the floor here.” Photo #8 by Tom Blackwell

The Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, is located in Lone, CA, and was abandoned in 1960. The photographer wrote, “Built in 1894, this imposing Romanesque Revival was one of the earliest and best-known reform schools in the United States. Moved by reformists who decided that wards of the state should probably not be kept with criminals (they were originally locked in San Quentin), California established the Preston School of Industry as a center where these children could learn life and trade skills. Running from 1894 to 1960, wards have included heavyweight boxer Eddie Machen, ‘Bakersfield Sound’ musician Merle Haggad, Beat artist Neal Cassady (aka Dean Moriarty) and author Eddie Bunker. The building was closed in the 1960s and is slowly being restored, funded by guided ghost tours. The Preston Castle is said to be haunted by housekeeper Anna Corbin, who was murdered in the basement in the 1950s.” Photo #9 by Wayne Hsieh

Inside at former Preston School of Industry: “Restraint Is In Order.” Photo #10 by Johnny Grim

Preston Castle is allegedly haunted. Paranormal investigations at the property were “featured in an episode of the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures with Zak Bagans, the The Atlantic Paranormal Society team of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson on SyFy’s paranormal show Ghost Hunters, Conversations of a Serial Killer – Richard Trenton Chase Episode by Two-Four Productions – England and Cartoon Network’s The Othersiders.” And “This place way creeeeeeeeeeeeepy,” according to the photographer. Photo #11 by Kevin Cortopassi

Locker Stumble at abandoned school in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo #12 by Martin Gonzalez

Alice Cooper – School’s Out (live). Video #1 by iConcertsTelevision

Inside an abandoned girls’ school in the UK. Photo #13 by Paul (howzey)

Graffiti at an abandoned school in Berlin. Photo #14 by mazzi

Abandoned Schoolhouse in Smithfield, Virginia. Photo #15 by George Pankewytch

Inside decaying schoolhouse in Smithfield. Photo #16 by George Pankewytch

Abandoned Bennett School for Girls, Bennett College, in Millbrook, New York, founded in 1890 and closed in 1978. Photo #17 by Natasha Mileshina

Crumbling Bennett College. Photo #18 by Justin Glass

Sunlight streaming into an abandoned Girls’ School in the United Kingdom. Photo #19 by Paul (howzey)

Urbex England, derelict and decaying girls’ school. Photo #20 by James C Farmer

The School Play, abandoned Texas school. Photo #21 by Martin Gonzalez

Mossy swimming pool at abandoned Eastmoor Reformatory for Boys. Eastmoor in Adel, in Leeds, opened in 1857 as Leeds Reformatory for Boys. Photo #22 by Tom Blackwell

1960s magazines in Eastmoor. It later became more of a self-contained village, until abandoned in 2003. Photo #23 by Tom Blackwell

This is the interior of a crumbling chapel which is part of the derelict complex formerly known as Eastmoor Reformator. The photographer wrote, “Such institutions were once more commonly called ‘borstals’; facilities where young offenders and children who were failing to integrate with society were sent to a secure environment to be taught practical skills so they could find a vocation or gainful employment. This chapel was built in 1887 and was also where the children would meet for daily assemblies. The bars at the side of the room are from when the building underwent a conversion to a gymnasium in its later years, before the school closed and its walls fell silent for the last time.” Photo #24 by Tom Blackwell

Abandoned School Gym in East Liberty, Pittsburgh. Photo #25 by Brook Ward

Old school, new graffiti in Pittsburgh. Photo #26 by Brook Ward

Decaying university slide show in Belgium. Photo #27 by Sebastien Ernest

Out of order, abandoned school in Georgia. Photo #28 by George C Slade

Playoffs long forgotten at an abandoned reform school. Photo #29 by Luca Rossato

Abandoned Chianan Home Economics Vocational High School, Taiwan ruins. Photo #30 by Wandering cheese dry

Inside Taiwan ruins of Vocational High School. “We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave them kids alone,” ~ Pink Floyd. Photo #31 by Wandering cheese dry

Pink Floyd-Another Brick In The Wall from the movie The Wall 1980. Video #2 by Pink Floyd via mic20001957

“Hey, Teachers, Leave Them Kids Alone!” Photo #32 by Thomas Hawk

Belgium University. “All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.” Photo #33 by Sebastien Ernest

Forgotten university laboratory in Belgium. Photo #34 by Sebastien Ernest

Golden piano in abandoned school in Gary, Indiana. Photo #35 by Jonathan Haeber

Row upon row of seats at the decaying Bainbridge school auditorium in Maryland. Photo #36 by StudioTempura

School’s out, nature reclaiming an old school gym, beautiful decay. Photo #37 by Michael Kötter

Main Building: Mansfield Training School and Hospital “was a facility for the mentally retarded located in Mansfield, Connecticut, and run by the state of Connecticut. It was active from 1860 to 1993. Its former campus in Mansfield is a 350-acre (140 ha) historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The caretaker’s residence was featured on the SyFy channel’s Paranormal Witness on September 28, 2011 as a location of alleged paranormal activity.” Photo #38 by reivax

Which way at the abandoned Girls’ School. Photo #39 by Paul (howzey)

Lecture room at abandoned university. Photo #40 by Sebastien Ernest

Back of Rosewood State Training School in Maryland. Photo #41 by Forsaken Time

“Special” school bus. Photo #42 by Paul Gorbould

Rusty, crusty slide at Pennhurst State School and Hospital. This place was “originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic is positioned on the border between Chester County and Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. Pennhurst was an institution for the mentally and physically disabled individuals of Southeastern Pennsylvania. After a decade of controversy, it closed on December 9, 1987.” Photo #43 by corrine klug

Dangerous, dusty High Explosive case at derelict St Edwards Catholic School. “School’s out for summer. School’s out forever. School’s been blown to pieces…” ~ Alice Cooper. Photo #44 by Dan Morrill

Abandoned gym at decaying Pripyat school in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. “Out for summer. Out till fall. We might not go back at all.” Photo #45 by Michael Kötter

This stack of literature books lay on the third floor burned and rotting at abandoned Detroit Publix Schools Book Depository. “School’s out forever. School’s out for summer. School’s out with fever. School’s out completely.” Photo #46 by Shane Gorski

AC/DC – For Those About To Rock (Graduate), We Salute You! Rock on! Video #3 by AC/DC via Rodrigo Estulano

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon. Once upon a time, tulips crashed the Dutch economy. During the 1600s, tulips were so wildly popular in Holland that social status was measured by exotic tulips. “At the peak of tulip mania, in March 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman. It is generally considered the first recorded speculative bubble.” Photo #2 by Misserion

A small boat with tulip flowers in the foreground – Keukenhof, Lisse, The Netherlands. Photo #3 by Tiago Fioreze

Woodburn Tulip Festival in Oregon. Photo #4 by Sarah McD from Oregon, USA

A colorful evening at Chicago Botanic Garden. The photographer won the Picsean World Photo contest with this photo. Photo #5 by Sandeep Pawar

“Every spring hundreds of thousands of people come to enjoy the celebration of spring as millions of tulips burst into bloom,” at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival near Mt. Vernon, Washington. Photo #6 by Larry Myhre

Tulip fields at sunset. Did you know that tulips come in many colors, except for pure blue? Tulips with “blue” in the name usually have a violet hue. Photo #7 by stokes rx

Tulips and Windmill at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farms and Festival, Oregon. Most people think of tulips originated in the Netherlands, but the flower was first cultivated commercially 500 years ago in the Ottoman Empire. Photo #8 by Sheila Sund

“The winds of Skagit.” The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington has been held every April since 1983. Photo #9 by Ryan Heaney

“Joyful Runway.” Wikipedia states, “In Persia, to give a red tulip was to declare your love. The black center of the red tulip was said to represent the lover’s heart, burned to a coal by love’s passion.” More specifically, to give a red tulip was to say “As the redness of this flower, I am on fire with love.” And “to give a yellow tulip was to declare your love hopelessly and utterly.” Photo #10 by Ian Sane

Under the tulips. Photo #11 by ♥siebe ©

Tulips at Keukenhof, the Netherlands, also known as the Garden of Europe. It is home to about 7 million flowers! Photo #12 by Donar Reiskoffer

Wooden Shoe tulip farm, tulip field during dawn, not HDR. Photo #13 by GeoFX

Dutch Color Fields. The photographer noted, “Flower fields in North-Holland comprising various blossoming flower species.” Photo #14 by Peter Femto

May 2013 at Keukenhof. In 1930, the song Tiptoe Through the Tulips was featured in the first Looney Tunes cartoon ever, during “Sinkin’ in the Bathtub.” Photo #15 by nikontino

Keukenhof has been the world’s largest flower garden for over 50 years with about 7 million bulbs planted annually. With more than just tulips, the air must have a heavenly scent. Photo #16 by nikontino

Blue mountains and red tulips at Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. There are 1000+ acres of Skagit Valley tulip, daffodil, and iris fields. Like roses, giving red tulips is a way of declaring love. Photo #17 by Rajiv Vishwa from Bellevue, United States

The photographer wrote, “We were like little kids hide and seeking amongst the tulips.” The song Tiptoe Through the Tulips was first recorded by the ‘Crooning Troubadour’ Nick Lucas in the musical “Gold Diggers of Broadway;” the song hit the top of the charts in May 1929 and held the #1 position for 10 weeks. Three other singers hit the charts in 1929 with the same song. Photo #18 by sassy40

Skagit Valley, Washington, USA, tulip fields. Wikipedia explained, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips was “heard in the opening scene of the 1945 movie ‘The Confidential Agent.’ The song was revived in 1967 by the California rock group The Humane Society and in 1968 by Tiny Tim, whose version charted at #17 that year. It was also covered by Uke til U Puke and The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.” Photo #19 by Jim Culp

Tulip farmlands outside Lisse, next to Keukenhof, Holland. There are signs posted that say, “Please don’t walk in our tulips.” Tiptoeing is not specifically mentioned. Photo #20 by Christiaan Kuun

It may look like a scene from Holland, but this tulip festival was in Sakura City in Japan. Photo #21 by hisa fujimoto

Dreamin’ – Hot Air Balloon Rides over the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm; it has has over 40 acres of tulips and daffodils. “Our favorite time of year is when the tulips bloom! There is nothing like the colors of our tulip fields in the spring. Every year the varieties are arranged differently in a new pattern of color as we rotate our tulip fields to a new location.” Photo #22 by Jesse Millan

John Deere tractor parked in the Oregon tulip fields. Photo #23 by Misserion

Serpent Garden in Japan. Tiptoe Through the Tulips “was also featured in the 2011 horror film Insidious a number of times throughout, and in the thriller film Wrecked as a radiotune. The song was also mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on page 34. Vernon Dursley was humming the song while he boarded up small cracks around the front and back doors of his house so he could stop letters from Hogwarts reaching his nephew. The song is played every year by the Holland High School marching band in the Tulip Time festival parades each May in Holland, Michigan.” Photo #24 by Agustin Rafael Reyes

Red, cream and purple, view from the Dutch dyke. “The tulip was once the most expensive flower in the world. At one point during the height of Europe’s tulip mania, a single Viceroy tulip bulb was purchased for two lasts of wheat, four lasts of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat swine, 12 fat sheep, two hogsheads of wine, four casks of beer, two tons of butter, a complete bed, a suit of clothes and a silver drinking cup! In the winter of 1636-37, a valuable tulip bulb could change hands ten times in a day.” Photo #25 by Charles Roffey

Overdose on pink in South Holland. Pink tulips symbolize caring and attachment. Not all tulips are incredibly fragrant, but some species are. Good scent or not, tulips are edible. During WWII and the Dutch famine of 1944, people survived by eating tulips and sugar beets. Photo #26 by Felix63

Tulips in Kiso Sansen National Government Park, Japan. Other tulip color meanings are: White tulips are supposed to represent purity, innocence, forgiveness and respect. Cream-colored tulips mean commitment. Yellow tulips have changed meanings over time “from representing hopeless love, to a more positive meaning of brightness and sunshine.” Purple tulips symbolize royalty and rebirth. Photo #27 by Alpsdake

Tulip landscape with the contrast of the clouds coming across the field. Photo #28 by Andy Simonds

White peacock in the orange tulips at Keukenhof. Tulip flowers usually have 2-6 leaves, but some species have up to 12 leaves. Generally tulips have one flower per stem, yet there are a few species that have up to 4 flowers on a single stem. Photo #29 by ♥siebe ©

Ottawa Tulip Festival. Wikipedia explained, “The Canadian Tulip Festival, which claims to be the world’s largest tulip festival, is a major event held annually each May in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. During World War II, the Dutch Royal Family took refuge in Canada. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands was born at Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1943, and the Canadian government declared the land to be extraterritorial. This was done to ensure that the princess would have Dutch citizenship. Every year since, Queen Juliana and the royal family after her death have sent tulip bulbs for the festival.” Photo #30 by Asif Ali

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. According to Wikipedia, “Variegated varieties admired during the Dutch tulipomania gained their delicately feathered patterns from an infection with the tulip breaking virus. While the virus produces fantastically colorful flowers, it also causes weakened plants prone to decline. Today the virus is almost eradicated from tulip growers’ fields. Tulips that are affected by mosaic virus are called “broken tulips”; while such tulips can occasionally revert to a plain or solid coloring, they will remain infected with the virus. While some modern varieties also display multicolored patterns, the patterns result from breeding selection for a genetic mutation.” Just the same, variegated tulips symbolize “beautiful eyes because of their gorgeous color patterns.” Photo #31 by Peter M Graham

Sea of red tulips in Fraser Valley. Photo #32 by Kyle Pearce

“Tulips FTW, New York.” The photographer added, “No true Dutchman in New York would have been able to resist this photo opportunity. Not only did we once own the place, but these Tulips are of course still © (all rights reserved) by The Netherlands ® ™.” Photo #33 by Lambert Wolterbeek Muller

Rainbow over the tulip fields in British Columbia. Photo #34 by Dru!

Gorgeous sunrise at Woodburn. Photo #35 by stokes rx

Couldn’t do “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” without a nod to the odd, some say creepy, Tiny Tim. Video #1 by Tiny Tim via ulfablabla

Kid: “Mom, he’s touching me!” Or “Mom, she’s looking at me!” Photo #2 by Michael Gottschalk via Animal Picture

Everyone knows that if you mess with a mom’s kids, she is gonna mess you up. But most of us have heard the little sayings that moms say to kids. You’re sure you’ll never say such silly things, but when the kid becomes the mom, then she says those same sayings to her kids. It must be a mom thing. Photo #3 by Eberhard Brunner via Bit of Fun

Mom cat kissing her kitten goodnight. One on one, the moments between mom and child can be utterly sweet. Photo #4 via StartPoint

Trying to raise twins is a bit more challenging. No such thing as sleeping in when the little ones awaken. They insure it’s time to get up. Photo #5 by kumachii

Babysitter wanted. Photo #6 by Atchoo420

She teaches all the important things like this mom giraffe teaching her son to eat his veggies. Photo #7 by patries71

She gives her baby a kiss and sees her child off to his/her first day of school. Photo #8 by Memphis CVB

Mom carries her little one when baby is too young, or too tired, to walk. Hitching a ride on mom gives monkey on your back a new meaning. Photo #9 by Amolife

In fact, mom does a lot of carrying. Mom elephant giving baby a piggyback ride in the water. Photo #10 by KVAL

Baby Giant Anteater piggyback-riding mom. Photo #11 by Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Baby walrus on mom’s back. Photo #12 by lykee via naver

There’s not much kick-back-and-relax time for mom. Foal urging momma horse to get up and play. Photo #13 via PicPetz

Overworked mom possum, babysitter still wanted. Mom to kids: “I’m going to give you until the count of three… 1.. 2.. 2 and a half… 2 and three quarters.” Photo #14 via O Blog do Dandan

Twin tigers jumping on mom, but most moms don’t complain. You can expect mom to say things like “No jumping on the bed (couch, seat).” Photo #15 by Tambako the Jaguar

“Don’t lick me like that, Mom!” But mom keeps her kids clean and teaches you to “always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident.” Photo #16 by Tambako the Jaguar

Mama Jaguar gives her child a stern lecture not to talk to strangers. Oh, and never take candy or rides from strangers. “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it!” Photo #17 by Nathan Rupert

“Don’t ever run with scissors.” Photo #18 by Dave Morris

“Don’t forget to brush your hair.” Photo #19 by Valerie

“Always brush your teeth after meals.” Photo #20 via My Opera

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Photo #21 by Pat Gaines

Believe in random acts of kindness and pay them forward as often as you can. Photo #22 via Kidztrainer

Piglet at mom’s ear saying, “Psst, are you awake?” Mom: “Close the door! You weren’t born in a barn!” Oh wait . . . Photo #23 by Anguskirk

Mom’s list of don’ts: “Don’t sit too close to the TV, you’ll ruin your eyes!” “Don’t leave the lights (TV, PC) on! Do you think I own the electric company?” or “Don’t go out with a wet head, you’ll catch cold.” And “Don’t make me come in there!” Photo #24 via SkinTech @ Cool Wallpapers

“Always say please and thank you. And if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Photo #25 by Guerrilla Wallpapers

Moms do their best to teach kids and hope it sinks in. Photo #26 via Happy Jack / Pixdaus

Mom: “Go outside and play.” Child: “But, Mom, I’m bored!” Mom: “Bored! How can you be bored? I was never bored at your age.” Photo #27 by Dick Forehand / NFW

“The lullaby is the spell whereby the mother attempts to transform herself back from an ogre to a saint,” ~ quote by James Fenton. Photo #28 via photoartguy

Mom always knows what’s best. “Don’t ever steal, cheat or lie.” Child: “Why?” Mom: “Because I said so.” Photo #29 by Jack (jmtimages)

Mom: “I don’t care what ‘everyone’ is doing. I care what YOU are doing! If your friends all jumped in the lake, would you?” Photo #30 by *BetüL*

“Slow and steady wins the race, child.” Photo #31 by Amel

“Always kiss me goodnight and then say your prayers.” Photo #32 by Amanda Scheliga

Baby gorilla sleeping on mom’s back, cause mom says to get at least 8 hours of sleep. Photo #33 by bartdubelaar

Smart moms pack a snack, in case the pack gets hungry, but she also reminds you to go to the bathroom before you leave for an outing. Photo #34 by NauruNappula

Child: “Hey mom, I got you a card for Mother’s Day!” Mom: “Aww give me a hug and I love you!” Photo #35 by Lieutenant Elizabeth Crapo, NOAA Corps

Funniest Mother’s Day Card ever. Photo #36 by angelbear

Nah, just joking . . . a mom wouldn’t trade it for the world. There’s nothing like a mother’s love. Photo #37 via CenterBlog by emmafabien5

Kids: “Mom, moom, mooom, moooom.” Mom: “If I’ve told you once … I’ve told you a thousand times, I don’t buy snacks to feed the neighborhood!” Photo #38 by kumachii

Mom snow leopard: “You are getting on my last nerve.” Photo #39 by Tambako the Jaguar

Mom & Me. Sweet now, but at some point you’ve likely heard Mom say, “Do I look like a maid? Or “do you think I’m made of money?” Photo #40 by Vinoth Chandar

Mom feeding on the go. Photo #41 by Trey Ratcliff

Lion cub giving mom some love after mom said, “Just wait until your father gets home!” Photo #42 by free-hdwallpapers

“Don’t make me stop this car!” Photo #43 by ff137

“You’re going to put your eye out with that thing!” Mom also teaches that you must learn to share and to take turns. Photo #44 by Leen van Yperen

At first mom is a taxi. Years later she says, “I’m not running a taxi service.” Photo #45 by NoIdentity

Rhino baby saying, “Get up, Mom; it’s time to play. Photo #46 via charioteers

“You never realize how much your mother loves you till you explore the attic – and find every letter you ever sent her, every finger painting, clay pot, bead necklace, Easter chicken, cardboard Santa Claus, paper lace Mother’s Day card and school report since day one,” ~ quote by Pam Brown. Photo #47 by Lon Martin

Tiger mom and child having a loving moment. Photo #48 by Tambako the Jaguar

Give me a kiss. There comes a day in most mothers’ lives when they realize: “Mirror, mirror on the wall; I am my mother after all.” Eek! Photo #49 via Animal Zoo

A mom might say, “A little birdie told me so,” when she knows something you haven’t told her yet. Photo #50 via free-hdwallpapers

“Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible,” ~ quote by unknown. Photo #51 by Alland Dharmawan

Sweet loving moment between Japanese Macque mother and baby. A mother’s love . . . there is nothing else like it in the world. Photo #52 by Masashi Mochida

Kitten giving momma cat a kiss. As kids we know that the best medicine in the world is a mother’s kiss. As a mother we know, a child’s kiss or even laugh is the best medicine for us. Tell your mom you love her! Photo #53 via Malgusto

No matter what language you speak, seeing a rainbow, any rainbow, is a stunning sight to behold. This one was seen over Lake Väimela Alajärv, in Võru County, Estonia. Seeing a double rainbow is double the pleasure, but some people claim that the double rainbow phenomenon is not as rare as most folks believe. Sometimes there is a second rainbow, but it is so dim that we simply miss it. You can make out the faint shape of the second rainbow in the top right of this photo. Photo #2 by Vaido Otsar

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,” ~ written by an unknown Canadian man as a greeting card quote for Carleton Cards in the mid 1970′s. Photo #3 by Steve Wall

Double rainbow during a stormy Cancun afternoon. “Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends,” wrote Aberjhani in The River of Winged Dreams. Photo #4 by purolipan

In an 1802 poem My Heart Leaps Up, Wordsworth wrote, “My heart leaps up when I behold, A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!” Photo #5 by Mark Robinson

The Calm After the Storm. Wikipedia explained a double rainbow as: “Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50–53°. As a result of the second reflection, the colors of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The secondary rainbow is fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky. The dark area of unlit sky lying between the primary and secondary bows is called Alexander’s band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it.” Photo #6 by Toni Verdú Carbó

Double rainbow over the Merse, Scotland. After the great flood and Noah’s famous Ark, came a rainbow that God said is His promise never to flood and destroy the entire earth again. But rainbows are so spectacular, that these multicolored arcs are woven into all kinds of legends, folklore, mythology and religions. Photo #7 by Neal Fowler

Double rainbow over Burning Man. You know about the pot of gold that Irish folklore says is at the end of a rainbow, but in Navajo and Hindu cultures, rainbows are interpretations of creation. In Australian Aborigines myths, the Rainbow Serpent is the god and the creator of all. Did you see The Avengers film? The Bifröst Rainbow Bridge connects Earth with Asgard, the home of the Norse mythology gods. The Greek messenger Iris was said to travel on a rainbow. Everybody and their dog has seen rainbows in all kinds of marketing. The real thing is pretty incredible to behold. Photo #8 by John curley

The person under the double rainbow in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska, looks so happy that you might expect a choir to break into George Friedrich Handel’s Hallelujah chorus. Photo #9 by Eric Rolph

Double rainbow over the London Eye. Accuweather wrote, “Nature’s natural color spectrum always elicits the same pattern (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) when light is refracted. While a primary rainbow is visible when light is reflected once off the back of a raindrop, a secondary and usually dimmer rainbow is spotted when light is reflected twice in a more complicated pattern. The colors of the second rainbow are inverted, with blue on the outside and red moved to the inside. The second bow appears dimmer or cloudier because much more light is released from two reflections, and both bows cover a larger portion of the sky. It is rare and unlikely, but three or even four rainbows can be seen on occasion, but only if they are reflected off of the earthly objects.” Photo #10 by Trey Ratcliff

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray,” ~ quote by Lord Bryon. Photo #11 by Nicholas A. Tonelli

Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Photo #12 by David Kingham

The photographer wrote, “Just as we reached the saddle of Stac Polaidh we were rewarded with the best rainbow(s) I have ever seen. Looking north across Loch Sionascaig to Suilven. Cul Mor and Cul Beag to the right.” Photo #13 by David Ian Roberts

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain,” ~ by Dolly Parton. Photo #14 by Patrick Emerson

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present,” ~ Bil Keane. Photo #15 by Kathrin & Stefan Marks

Color of rainbow meanings: Red is the first or the topmost color in a rainbow and is the color of energy, enthusiasm and passion. Red is also the color with the longest wavelength, and it symbolizes vibrancy and security. Orange is the 2nd color from the top and symbolizes energy and wisdom. Yellow is the 3rd color from the top which is supposed to bring about a proper clarity of thought, wisdom, and improve decision-making skills. Green is the 4th and middle color in a rainbow, located in the center of the spectrum. Green symbolizes harmony, balance, growth, and good health. Blue is the 5th color and is known as the color of divinity; it helps to soothe and relax. Indigo is the 6th color (2nd from the bottom) and means infinity. It symbolizes wisdom, intuition, and self-mastery. This color is known to be the bridge between the finite and the infinite. Violet is the lowermost color in a rainbow; it is viewed as the completion and the beginning of energy vibration. Now flip those colors, red facing red, and that is a double rainbow. Photo #16 by Peggy2012CREATIVELENZ

There are tons of songs that mention rainbows, but this is probably the most ♬ iconic ♬. Wizard of Oz Video #1 via 0vertherainbow

Judy Garland once said, “I’ve always taken ‘The Wizard of Oz’ very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.” Photo #17 by Hai Linh Truong

“Hope is a waking dream,” ~ by Aristotle. Photo #18 by Viewminder

“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us,” ~ quote by Samuel Smiles. Photo #19 by Angelo Amboldi

After a severe storm a few miles north of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Is there a “meaning” to double rainbows? According to a Feng Shui site, “Double Rainbows are considered symbolic of transformations in your life. The material world is represented by the first rainbow while the second rainbow is the spiritual world. Seeing a single rainbow is fairly common so something we take for granted in the universe but when we see a double rainbow we stop and take time to admire the wonder of the universe.” Photo #20 by Nomadic Lass

Johann Gottfried Von Herder said, ~ “Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” Photo #21 by Madrax

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us,” ~ quote by Alexander Graham Bell. Photo #22 by Justin Taylor

Girona, Spain, the proverbial “end” of a rainbow. Wikipedia explained that “an observer situated at that location would only see the rainbow end at a further distance.” Photo #23 by Jofre Ferrer

Red Thunderstorm Rainbow over Canim Lake. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s learning to dance in the rain. Photo #24 by Brigitte Werner

“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.” Photo #25 by Gustavo Durán

“My two favorite colors of the rainbow are gold and leprechaun,” ~ Jarod Kintz, It Occurred to Me. Photo #26 by Stephen Nesbit

Double rainbow over Devon. Photo #27 by PublicDomainPictures

Fighting mosquitoes? A pain. But capturing a double rainbow? Priceless! Photo #28 by filip.farag

Stop looking at what you have lost, so you can see what you have. Photo #29 by Stephen Murphy

The photographer wrote, “A double rainbow on the 4th of July? How awesome is this?” Recall that seeing the second rainbow phenomenon can be difficult? “We just got the edge of a storm that came through and I happened to go outside and saw this rainbow. Then when I was editing it, I noticed the double rainbow. The only way I could show the second rainbow was to lower the exposure which made me do a HDR process.” Photo #30 by Nicholas Erwin

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that,” ~ quote by Martin Luther King Jr. Photo #31 by Raymond Larose

Amazingly bright double rainbow in Costa Rica. Photo #32 by Orin

Denali Double Rainbow Panorama. The photographer wrote, “This double rainbow was a glorious sight I will remember until I die. The weather service said 0% chance of precipitation for three days. But this is Alaska, where weather forecasts aren’t much more accurate than a psychic hotline.” Photo #33 by Grant Eaton

New Mexico, a gathering double rainbow. Photo #34 by Jared Tarbell

Somewhere over the heather at Ruakaka, Northland, New Zealand. The second rainbow is very dim and barely visible on the right. Photo #35 by Gordon Anderson

Double Rainbow over US Army in Afghanistan. Photo #36 by Amber Leach

The best time to see a rainbow is reportedly “in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is lower in the sky. When the sun is in a lower position, a higher bow can be seen.” When half of the sky is still dark with raining clouds, and the photographer is at a spot with clear sky in the direction of the sun, the most spectacular rainbows are visible and can be captured against the contrasting darkened background. Photo #37 by Joe McCarthy

Double and Supernumerary Rainbow. The photographer noted, “I captured this from a helicopter over the southeastern side of Hawai’i, near Hilo. In addition to the faint double rainbow, there’s a supernumerary, which is the additional bands of color inside the violet band.” Wikipedia added, “A supernumerary rainbow—also known as a stacker rainbow—is an infrequent phenomenon, consisting of several faint rainbows on the inner side of the primary rainbow, and very rarely also outside the secondary rainbow. Supernumerary rainbows are slightly detached and have pastel color bands that do not fit the usual pattern.” Photo #38 by James Walsh

“Sigh, this is a supernumerary rainbow but the second one was pretty faint even with my HDR tinkering,” wrote the photographer. Photo #39 by cloudzilla

Burning Man: “This was one of the greatest moments of my life.” Photo #40 by Barry M

Double rainbow over Embudo Valley. Photo #41 by Mike Lewinski

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow,” ~ quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton. Photo #42 by David DeHetre

“Double rainbow out of my window over Arkonaplatz, Germany.” Photo #43 by Matt Biddulph

“It´s just an illusion.” Photo #44 by Daniela Hartmann

Rare twin and reflection rainbows at Sehestedt, Germany. According to Wikipedia, “Unlike a double rainbow which consists of two separate and concentric rainbow arcs, the very rare twinned rainbow appears as two rainbow arcs that split from a single base. The colors in the second bow, rather than reversing as in a double rainbow, appear in the same order as the primary rainbow. It is sometimes even observed in combination with a double rainbow.” Then ScienceDaily added, “Sometimes, when the conditions are just right, we can observe extremely exotic rainbows, such as a twinned rainbow. Until now, no one has really known why such rainbows occur.” Photo #45 by Danapit

In August 2012, research scientist Dr. Wojciech Jarosz at Disney Research, Zürich, discovered, “Sometimes two rain showers combine. When the two are composed of different sized raindrops, each set of raindrops produces slightly deformed rainbows, which combine to form the elusive twinned rainbow.” Left: Mirrored double rainbow in Naden Harbour, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia Canada. Right: Example of a reflection rainbow (contrast enhanced) over Skagit Bay, Whidbey Island, Washington. Photo #46 by Jason Drury & #47 by Tlatla

“Love was a feeling completely bound up with color, like thousands of rainbows superimposed one on top of the other,” ~ quote by Paulo Coelho. Photo #48 by gfpeck

Rainbow Sunset. The photographer wrote, The sunset was so surreal tonight, rolling soft colors across the fields…and then I saw the double rainbow, strangely monochromatic.” Photo #49 by Steve Jurvetson

An American Indian Cherokee Blessing states, “May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit bless all who enter there. May your mocassins make happy tracks in many snows, and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.” Photo #50 by Mike Baird

This video of Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow birthed the double rainbow meme; it’s been viewed by nearly 40 million people. Video #2 by Hungrybear9562

Spectacular rainbow-colored seahorse at Hamburg, Germany. Photo #2 by Zanthia

Leafy seadragon in the Georgia Aquarium. Both seahorse and seadragon are the spelled as one word by official governments such as Australia, but may commonly be used as one or two words. In the wild, the leafy seadragon has plenty of potential predators in surrounding waters. However since it is the master of camouflage, the leafy seadragon can best manage to hide itself easily among the plants and is therefore rarely eaten. Photo #3 by lecates

Weedy Seadragon is a cousin to the more showy leafy seadragon. Weedy sea dragons are protected by the Australian government due to illegal collectors that have threatened the population. The IUCN Red List has weedy seadragons as “endangered.” These are bizarre looking underwater creatures; even more odd is that weedy sea dragons swim horizontally with their abdomen facing downward. The little carnivores use their tubular snout like a drinking straw to suck up tiny prey. Photo #4 by Ta-graphy

Leafy sea dragon at Birch Aquarium, San Diego, CA. The leafy can grow to a length of up to 13.8 in (35 cm), while the weedy is even bigger and can reach up to 18 in (46 cm) in length. When the males are ready to mate, their leafy tails will turn bright yellow. Photo #5 by Nathan Rupert

“The Black-Sea seahorse is a rare sight in the shallow waters of Eforie-Sud,” Romania, according to the photographer. Photo #6 by Florin DUMITRESCU

Leafy seadragon in Atlanta Aquarium. In nature, leafy seadragons live in the tropical coastal waters of south and west Australia. Photo #7 by lecates

Thorny Seahorse is sometimes also called the spiny seahorse due to the distinct spines sticking out on it. This one was seen while diving Egypt, but thorny seahorses have one of the largest species ranges of any seahorse and can grow to 6.7 in (17 cm) in length. Photo #8 by prilfish

Seahorse at Oregon Coast Aquarium. Strange but true, the seahorse is not a good swimmer. The most unusual thing about seahorses? The males get pregnant, not the females. They are among the only animal species on Earth in which the male bears the unborn young. Photo #9 by shellac

Slow swimming weedy seadragon in Cabbage Tree Bay, Sydney, Australia. They like to keep near the kelp forests and reefs to camouflage themselves. Photo #10 by Richard Ling

Not pregnant, but Big-belly, or Pot-bellied seahorses at the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga. These are some of the largest seahorses and can reach a length of 13.8 inches (35 cm). Photo #11 by Joanne Merriam

The thorny seahorse, according to Wikipedia, is like many other species of seahorse — increasingly threatened by traditional and patented Chinese medicine. It is “listed as vulnerable by both the IUCN and the Viet Nam National Red Data Book.” Photo #12 by Bernd

Like seahorses, Leafy and Weedy seadragon males are the sex that cares for the developing eggs. Babies are completely independent once they have hatched. Photo #13 by Schristia

This was marked as “Lembeh Seadragon,” but Pipefish are related to seahorses and seadragons, albeit a little like the ugly cousin of the family. Pipefish have longer, straighter bodies with tiny mouths. There are about 200 known pipefish species in the world. Photo #14 by Stephen Childs

Seahorses, frilly ‘pipehorses’ or leafy seadragons? These bright yellow creatures are listed on Wikimedia as “unidentified,” but seen in Wilhelma zoo and botanical garden, Germany. Photo #15 by –Xocolatl

Macro photography of a gray and of a yellow seahorse at Zurich Zoo. When eating or interacting with other seahorses, these fish with no scales make “clicking” sounds. Photo #16 by Tambako the Jaguar & #17 by Tambako the Jaguar

Leafy seems to be in love with Weedy. Photo #18 by moogs

Leafy seadragons swimming as if dancing at the Dallas Aquarium. Wikipedia states, “The leafy seadragon uses the fins along the side of its head to allow it to steer and turn. However, its outer skin is fairly rigid, limiting mobility. Individual leafy seadragons have been observed remaining in one location for extended periods of time (up to 68 hours) but will sometimes move for lengthy periods. The tracking of one individual indicated it moved at up to 150 meters (490 feet) per hour.” Photo #19 by Alicia Lee

Pygmy seahorse well-camouflaged to blend in with the soft coral around Cebu, Philippines. Pygmies reach a maximum length of less than an inch, 2.4 cm. “The pygmy seahorse is found in coastal areas ranging from southern Japan and Indonesia to northern Australia and New Caledonia on reefs and slopes at a depth of 10–40 meters (33–130 ft);” but it is extremely hard for divers to spot these tiny seahorses who live within sea grasses, soft corals, or sea fans. Photo #20 by Klaus Stiefel & #21 by Klaus Stiefel

Ornate Ghost-pipefish – Solenostomus paradoxus – Myanmar, Thailand. Pipefish are like their seahorse relatives with males responsible for most of the parenting duties. The pipefish comes in a variety of colors and sizes, ranging from 1 inch to 26 inches in length. Photo #22 by divemecressi

Up close and personal with a leafy seadragon. The photographer wrote, “They grow leafy protrusions for camouflage against predators and to be able to sneak up on their prey.” Photo #23 by greyloch

Closeups of weedy seadragons: Left: Weedy seadragon at Shelly Beach, Australia. Right: Eggs on the male weedy seadragon. The photographer explained, “The males carry the fertilized eggs on their bodies, just like the males in their relatives, the pipefishes, do.” Photo #24 by Richard LingS & #25 by Klaus Stiefel

The photographer noted, “Every morning, seahorse couples do a mating dance in order to reinforce their permanent bond. They will mate for life.” Photo #26 by Gulf Specimen

Weedy seadragon, bizarrely appearing to ‘fly’ through the water. “Otherwordly inhabitants of the Sea Life Centre, Scarborough,” noted the photographer. Sea dragons develop their color and style of appendages based upon food supply, environment, depth and geography. Photo #27 by Mad_m4tty

Left: Pot-Bellied Seahorse hanging out by some seaweed. Right: Lined seahorse at Blue Heron Bridge, FL. Photo #28 by Nathan Rupert & #29 by Matt Sullivan

Toothless and thin, the pipefish is snake-like and has a long, straight body and tail. Photo #30 by divemecressi

Seahorse convention. Did you know? They have no stomach and need to eat almost constantly to stay alive. Seahorses also often die when there is a storm because they are very poor swimmers. Photo #31 by Quinn Dombrowski

Seahorse in Birch Aquarium. A male courts a female for days before potentially mating. During the courting ritual, seahorses will curl their tails around each other. Only some seahorses actually mate for life, but they do stay together at least during mating season. Photo #32 by Antoine Taveneaux

Illuminated Leafy Seadragon. Photo #33 by Charlie J

Juvenile Ornate Ghost PipeFish. There are a few species that can change their color to match their surroundings. Photo #34 by Steve Childs

Left: “Get off my head!” Sea horses @ Sea Life Scheveningen, The Hague. Right: Closeup. Photo #35 by Jeroen Kransen & #36 by Silvain de Munck

Couple for life. Photo #37 by Romain Guy

Seahorse is the title given to 54 species of marine fish in the genus Hippocampu. Some are capable of changing color in order to blend into their surroundings. Photo #38 by Silvain de Munck

Schultz’s Pipefish – Corythoichthys schultzi – in Egypt. Photo #39 by divemecressi

Left: Weedy seadragon in Lisbon, Portugal. Right Top: “Hippocampus.” Right Bottom: Pygmy seahorse. Photo #40 by Zanthia & #41 by Vic DeLeon & #42 by Yusmar Yahaya

In the shadows of Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Guinness World Records lists seahorses as the slowest fish in the ocean. The Dwarf Seahorse moves less than 5 feet per hour and some swim even slower. Photo #43 by David Goehring

Scuba diving with a ‘great seahorse,’ Did you know: Less than 1% of seahorse eggs develop into mature seahorses. Not strong swimmers, they curl their tail around coral or seaweed so they won’t float away. Adding to declining numbers is the fact that the seahorse is used as an herbal medicine regimen in many Asian countries. Photo #44 by Nemo’s great uncle

Master of disguise via camouflage to blend into its environment. Left: White’s Seahorse anchored to sponge-encrusted netting. Balmoral Baths, Mosman, NSW. Right: Dhiho’s seahorse. Photo #45 by Richard Ling & #46 by Nemo’s great uncle

Pygmy seahorse. The photographer noted, “This miniature seahorse, among the smallest living vertebrates, evolved to beautifully camouflage itself among the branches of soft corals. Seen in Cabilao Island, Bohol, Visayas, Philippines.” Photo #47 by Klaus Stiefel

Stunning capture of kissing seahorses at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Photo #48 by kqedquest

“Leafy sea dragon, a cousin of seahorses,” wrote the photographer. “It is now protected by the Australian government. I wish I was protected by some Government too!” Photo #49 by Pierre Metivier / James D. Watt/J.H. Editorial

Entire family of Syngnathidae fish which includes seahorses, pipefishes, weedy seadragons and leafy seadragons. Top: Male Ringed Pipefish carrying eggs after fertilization on his underside. Left: Seahorse at Gatlinburg, TN, Ripley Aquarium of the Smokies. Right: Leafy and weedy Sea Dragons, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, USA. Photo #50 by Klaus Stiefel & #51 by Peter Miller & #52 by Jim G

Thorny Seahorse – Hippocampus jayakari – in Egypt. It can change color to blend in with its surroundings. Photo #53 by divemecressi

Egypt-Sinai-Dahab (Nightdive), pipefish saying. “Kiss me, coral.” Photo #54 by divemecressi

Elusive seahorse. Photo #55 by Kelly McCarthy

Left: Potbelly seahorse at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans. Right: Ultra close-up. Photo #56 by Mills Baker & #57 by Sander van der Wel

Underwater photography, lined seahorse swimming near diving gear. Photo #58 by Kevin Bryant

Swimming into the blue. Photo #60 by Taro Taylor

The photographer noted, “Liffey Falls State Reserve is nestled within cool temperate rainforest on the slopes of the Great Western Tiers. The Liffey Falls State Reserve was included within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1989, a tribute to the globally significant value of the region. The area reveals a rich human heritage and insights into the forces which shaped the landscape over the past 250 million years.” Wikipedia added, “It is believed that Tasmanian Aborigines used Liffey falls as a meeting place. It has been reported that a significant massacre by European colonists, of up to 60 of the Pallittorre group, took place in 1827 during the Black War.” Photo #2 by ccdoh1

Mossy Antarctic Rainforest along Gordon River, part of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park located “in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area. The Gordon and Franklin Rivers were the subject of one of Australia’s largest conservation battles – the battle to save the Gordon River from being dammed for a hydro-electric scheme.” Photo #3 by Arthur Chapman

Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The photographer explained, “270 degree from The Acropolis looking south and west, then north west to north east. Top: From left to right, Mt Gould, the Labyrinth, Mt Eros, bit of Mt Geryon. Bottom: Mt Geryon, Mount Massif, Mt Ossa (b/g), Falling Mountain (and that’s only the left half of the horizon!).” Photo #4 by Andrew Purdam

Mt Anne capped in a cloud as seen from High Shelf Camp in Southwest National Park, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. “The park is well known for its pristine wilderness and remoteness. Weather in the park is highly changeable, and can be severe. The area is largely unaffected by humans. Although evidence shows Tasmanian Aborigines have visited the area for at least 25,000 years, and European settlers have made occasional forays into the park area since the 19th century, there has been very little permanent habitation and only minimal impact on the natural environment. Within the area there is only one road” and “the southern and western reaches of the park are far removed from any vehicular access.” Photo #5 by JJ Harrison

Tent at High Shelf Camp, near Mt Anne, which “has a large sub-structure of dolomite, which contains an extensive cave system. This system includes the famous ‘Anna-a-Kananda’ cave – one of the deepest caves in Australia. Several cavers have been killed trying to explore its depths.” Photo #6 by JJ Harrison

Lake Judd from Mt Eliza, Southwest National Park. “Much of Tasmania is still densely forested, with the Southwest National Park and neighboring areas holding some of the last temperate rain forests in the Southern Hemisphere.” Photo #7 by JJ Harrison

Mole Creek Karst National Park is another park inside the Tasmanian Wilderness. Wikipedia states, “It is the only national park in Tasmania created specifically to protect karst landforms. It is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. The national park was declared in 1996 to provide protection for an extensive system of over 300 known caves and sinkholes, including Marakoopa and King Solomons Cave. Marakoopa Cave features two underground streams, glow-worms, large caverns, rim pools, reflections and shawl and flowstone features. King Solomons Cave includes shawls, stalactites and stalagmites.” Photo #8 by Leo Laporte

Waterfall and water flowing through the forest near Frenchman’s Cap, which is “a prominent mountain in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Western Tasmania, Australia. It was once a landmark for ships sailing along the west coast and was also “used as a guiding beacon by many, largely unsuccessful, parties of escaping convicts as they attempted to struggle through the dense scrub of Western Tasmania to the settled districts further east. The walk to the peak along the well marked track typically takes two days.” Photo #9 by Vernon Fowler

Left: Creepy Crawly Track (In the Great Wilderness of Tasmania). Right: Nelson Falls Creek with a 98 ft (30 m) waterfall in Tasmanian wilderness. Photo #10 by Eddy.H & #11 by Eddy.H

Wild, wooded and mountainous, the horizontal Antarctic Rainforest along Gordon River. Tasmania has 19 national parks in total, six of which are part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. These parks offer “visitors a wide choice of opportunities to discover spectacular landscapes, from highlands carved by glaciers to quiet, solitary beaches; from cool, silent rainforests to colorful, alpine wilderness wildflowers. Tasmania’s 19 national parks encompass a diversity of unspoiled habitats and ecosystems which offer refuge to unique, and often ancient, plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.” Photo #12 by Arthur Chapman

Day 1 rafting Franklin River. In the middle of the 20th century, “adventurous canoers sought to conquer the river’s formidable challenges.” Since then, “rafters and canoers have added names for many of the bends and rapids on the river.” Photo #13 by ToniFish

Day 1: Rafting on the Franklin River. Some of the places named include: Livingstone Cut, The Forceit, Sidewinder, Thunderrush, The Sanctum, The Cauldron, Mousehole, Deliverance Reach, The Biscuit, Rafters Basin, Confluence of Andrew River, Propsting Gorge, Glen Calder, Gaylard Rapids and Pig Trough. Photo #14 by ToniFish

“The Faucet,” Day 5 rafting on Franklin River, Tasmania. Other places named along the river are: Rock Island Bend, Shower Cliff, Newland Cascades, Confluence of Jane River, Flat Island, Blackmans Bend, Double Fall, Big Fall or Devils Hole, Galleon Bluff, Verandah Cliffs, Shingle Island, Pyramid Island and Confluence into Gordon River. Photo #15 by ToniFish

Going down The Faucet, Tasmanian Wilderness. “The entire course of the Gordon River is an uninhabited wilderness area.” Photo #16 by ToniFish

Day 5 of rafting and negotiating in the Tasmanian Wilderness. Photo #17 by ToniFish

Ladies Tarn, Hartz National Park, one of nine national parks in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Photo #18 by JJ Harrison

Lake on Anne Plataeu, Southwest National Park. “The Tasmanian Wilderness, a network of parks and reserves with steep gorges, underwent severe glaciation. Human remains dating back more than 20,000 years have been found in limestone caves in the area.” Photo #19 by JJ Harrison

Louisa Island and Louisa Bay, Southwest National Park, which is is Tasmania’s largest national park and forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Photo #20 by JJ Harrison

Walls Of Jerusalem is a national park in Tasmania forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It has no road access. Photo #21 by ccdoh1

Lake Ball at Walls Of Jerusalem National Park. It was named for “the geological features of the park which are thought to resemble the walls of the city of Jerusalem in Israel. As a result many places and features within the park also have Biblical references for names, such as Herods Gate, Lake Salome, Solomons Jewels, Damascus Gate, the Pool of Bathesda. The most prominent feature of the park is King Davids Peak.” Photo #22 by Matthias Siegel

South Cape Bay in Southwest National Park; the park was designated a biosphere reserve in 1977. Photo #23 by JJ Harrison

Flying over and climbing Federation Peak in Southwest National Park. This peak has often been “described as one of the hardest Bushwalking challenges in Australia.” Photo #24 by Michael Rawle & #25 by Robert Hutton

Hartnett Falls at Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Photo #26 by Matthias Siegel

Cephissus Falls in the Great Wilderness. The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife site states, “The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area protects one of the last true wilderness regions on Earth and encompasses a greater range of natural and cultural values than any other region on Earth. It covers over 1.4 million hectares (or about 3.46 million acres) and represents about 1/5 of the area of the island state of Tasmania. It protects vast tracts of high quality wilderness, which harbors a wealth of outstanding natural and cultural heritage.” Photo #27 by Matthias Siegel

The photographer wrote, “This logging coupe is located in Butlers Gorge, in the Upper Derwent and is less than 1km from the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. This forest is part of the core area of 430,000 hectares that was promised protection as part of the Intergovernmental Agreement.” Photo #28 by Ta Ann Truths

Ah, signs of human invasion at the edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness. The photographer wrote, “This logging coupe is located in the Catamaran area, behind Recherche Bay in the far south of Tasmania and borders the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. This forest is part of the core area of 430,000 hectares that was promised protection as part of the Intergovernmental Agreement. Logging commenced in this forest after the Intergovernmental Agreement was announced.” Photo #29 by Ta Ann Truths

From the peak of Mount Wellington in the Wilderness. According to UNESCO, “Surveys and excavations of inland river valleys have located 37 cave sites, all considered to have been occupied between 30,000 and 11,500 years ago on the basis of the finds.” Photo #30 by island home

Scotts Peak in Lake Pedder, seen from Mt Eliza in Southwest National Park. Photo #31 by JJ Harrison

Classic view of Cradle Mountain over Dove Lake, with old boat shed in foreground. HDR from 5 photos. There is a $180 usage fee that applies to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park “to finance the park ranger organisation, track maintenance, building of new facilities and rental of helicopter transport to remove waste from the toilets at the huts in the park.” Cradle and Lake St Clair share a ‘Twin Parks’ agreement with the World Heritage.” Lake St Clair “was carved out by ice during several glaciations over the last two million years, this is the deepest lake in Australia and the headwaters of the Derwent River, upon which the capital city of Tasmania is located. The area around Lake St Clair offers a wealth of walks, ranging from leisurely strolls to overnight bushwalks, as well as beautiful forests to explore. Lake St Clair is also the end point of the famous Overland Track.” Photo #32 by Stevage

Eucalyptus forest and button grassland hiking path near Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park. “The jagged contours of Cradle Mountain epitomize the feel of a wild landscape, while ancient rainforest and alpine heathlands, buttongrass and stands of colorful deciduous beech provide a range of environments to explore. Icy streams cascading out of rugged mountains, stands of ancient pines mirrored in the still waters of glacial lakes and a wealth of wildlife ensure there is always something to captivate you. The area is one of the most popular natural areas in Tasmania. A visit will reveal why.” Photo #33 by J Brew from near Seattle, USA

Enchanted Walk Cradle Mountain. “Cradle is the starting point for the world-famous Overland Track, a magnificent 6 day walk that will take you through the heart of some of the finest mountain terrain.” Photo #34 by Natsume, Ryunosuke

Left: Giant tree along the King Billy walk. Right: Butlers Gorge, Tasmania. Photo #35 by Tindo2 & #36 by Ta Ann Truths

Barn Bluff from Waterfall Valley Overland Track in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The Barn Bluff Mountain “is frequently snow covered, sometimes even in summer. This mountain is a major feature of the national park because it is visible from most areas and stands on its own, well away from other peaks. It is a popular venue for bushwalkers and mountain climbers.” Photo #37 by JJ Harrison

Looking down from the climb to Frenchmans Cap at Lake Tahune. Hiking and climbing Frenchmans Cap: The first day of “the walk includes two steep and prolonged ascents separated by the boggy Loddon Plains. The so-called ‘Sodden Loddons’ are almost always muddy and crossing them may take two hours or more. In wet weather the mud can be waist high. In summer it is only knee high. Water is plentiful (and drinkable) in all seasons. Walk time from Lyell Highway to Lake Vera is between six and eight hours.” The second day’s walk is shorter but steeper, yet climbers and hikers are rewarded with a stunning and “dramatic view of the majestic Frenchmans Cap. There are two lakes on the way to the summit – Lake Vera, and Lake Tahune – there are huts at both of these locations. At Tahune, the steep walker’s track to the top of the Cap takes under an hour. If the weather is clear the view includes the West Coast beaches, Lake Burbury and the many peaks – such as Tasmania’s tallest, Mount Ossa – in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.” Photo #38 by Vern

Tasmanian Devil at Cradle Mountain. Tassie devils face extinction in the wild due to highly infectious cancer facial tumor disease (DFTD). The devastating Devil disease is “sweeping sweeping through Tasmania’s devil population, killing more than 90% of adults in high density areas and 40-50% in medium-low density areas. Its spine-chilling screeches, black color, and reputed bad-temper, led the early European settlers to call it The Devil.” For over a century, devils were trapped and poisoned. “Although only the size of a small dog, it can sound and look incredibly fierce.” If you’ve never heard one, then you should listen to its eerie call. Tassie is listed as a threatened species and the Tasmanian Tiger, also called the Tasmanian wolf is already extinct; it’s one of the animals that scientists want to resurrect. Photo #39 by Scott MacLeod Liddle

Nelson Falls, within Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. “These delightful falls are reached after a very easy walk. Along the boardwalk to Nelson Falls you will come across interpretation panels highlighting the ancient plants you see along the way, including at least seven species of fern. Among the forest trees you will discover ancient species that once dominated the Australian landmass, but are now confined to the wetter regions of Tasmania and southeast and eastern mainland Australia. Many of the species of these cool temperate rainforests are only suited to the cool, moist conditions of places such as the Nelson Valley.” Photo #40 by JJ Harrison

Strahan Beach was “once known as ‘Hell’s Gate’,” according to CNN. “The harbor was only seen by the most despised convicts en route to Sarah Island. It later became the scene of a long-running conservation battle, when the Tasmanian government planned a dam before being stymied by the federal government. Now it’s part of a World Heritage Area that encompasses 20 percent of Tasmania. It’s home to 2,000-year-old Huon Pines among the ancient, temperate rainforests. Hundreds of endemic fauna species include the Tasmanian Devil, Eastern Quoll, velvet worms and the 250 million-year-old Mountain Shrimp — one of nature’s first crustaceans.” Photo #41 by Angela Thomas

Lake Pedder sunset at Southwest National Park. The core of this national park was created in 1955. but it was then called Lake Pedder National Park. “Over the following 35 years the park was gradually extended and renamed, finally reaching its present size in 1990.” Lake Pedder was once a natural lake, but the name is now used in an official sense to refer to the much larger artificial impoundment and diversion lake formed when the original lake was expanded by damming in 1972. It’s now considered the largest freshwater lake in Australia. Photo #42 by Matthias Siegel

Bluebell carpet of Ashridge Forest UK at dusk. These flowers are protected under UK law, but before the law, there were legends with dark consequences about picking these “fairy flowers.” In one legend it was said that if a child wandered alone into a bluebell wood and picked a flower, that child would never be seen again. Another legend applied to adults: “If an adult picks a bluebell they will be lead around by a pixie forever and ever unless rescued.” Photo #2 by Ken Douglas

A footpath in Tourneppe, Belgium, through the bluebells that the photographer said “were as far as the imagination can see.” Photo #3 by Vincent Brassinne

Zillions of bluebells. Paul McCartney, of the Beatles, revealed his heartbreaking last words to his wife Linda. “As she slipped away, Sir Paul whispered: ‘You’re up on your beautiful Appaloosa stallion. It’s a fine spring day, we’re riding through the woods. The bluebells are all out, and the sky is clear blue.’ Sir Paul said: ‘I had barely got to the end of the sentence, when she closed her eyes, and gently slipped away’.” Photo #4 by Chauncey Gardener

Badbury Clump near Faringdon, Oxfordshire. Naturalists John Muir, an early advocate of preserving wilderness, once said, “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” Photo #5 by Stuart Richards

A rich bed of bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Little Chittenden Wood, near to Four Elms, Kent, Great Britain. There are many different types of bluebells, just as there are many different common names for them, including bluebell, common bluebell, English bluebell, British bluebell, bell bottle, fairy flower, wild hyacinth and wood bell. Photo #6 by Oast House Archive

“For a couple of weeks in May in each year, many of the woods in the UK are carpeted with English Bluebells. The ancient woodlands on the Ashridge Estate, managed by the UK’s National Trust, are home to one of the finest examples of massed flowering bluebells that are an icon of Spring in England. Here, the English landscape is transformed into a sea of blue – almost as far as the eye can see.” The photographer added, “For only a few days, the sapphire of the bluebells is also contrasted with the emerald green colors from the newly emerging foliage of the beech trees in the spring landscape – a natural gem from Mother Nature. Soon the foliage is thick enough to obscure the light and the blue flowers will be gone for another year.” Photo #7 by ukgardenphotos

The photographer said bluebell time in the Belgium forest shows the “three layers of the enchanted Spring.” Photo #8 by Vincent Brassinne

Dark tree silhouettes and millions of bluebells. “I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams, ~ quote by W.B. Yeats. Photo #9 by Anneka

The photographer wrote, “The low sun was casting amazing long shadows between bright spears of light. There was quite a breeze too – and so the whole scene swayed and ‘breathed’. Taken in Ashridge Forest – just off the road to the Beacon. There are several acres of bluebells carpeting the entire forest floor.” Photo #10 by Ken Douglas

Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire, UK, the National Trust Woodlands carpeted with English Bluebells in Spring. People have tried to bottle the strong sweet scent of these delicate bell-shaped flowers and sell it as perfume. Photo #11 by ukgardenphotos

Bluebells at Ashridge Forest, as far as the eye can see. There are all different kinds of bluebells, in the UK and worldwide, but the three best-known types of bluebells are the English, the Spanish, and the Virginia bluebells. Spanish bluebells do well in gardens and English bluebells prefer the woods. The stalk of a Spanish bluebell is about three feet high, whereas the stalk of an English bluebell is grows only to about a foot tall. Photo #12 by Ken Douglas

The English and Spanish bluebells are native to Europe and the British isles. Pictured above are Spanish bluebells. For people in England who are trying to discern if their bluebells are native or not, there is a handy guide. We think they are all beautiful. “Oh! roses and lilies are fair to see; But the wild bluebell is the flower for me,” wrote Louisa A. Meredith, in The Bluebell. Photo #13 by Tristan Martin

Patch of bluebell woodlands called Dockey Wood between Hurst Farm and Ivinghoe Common, UK. The British bluebell woods are late to bloom this year. Matthew Oates, naturalist for the National Trust, said, “The true beauty of our bluebells – the color, the scent, the view – makes them an essential and special element to our springtime experience.” Photo #14 by Keith Hulbert and Paul Zarucki

Misty dawn and the bluebell woods. “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great,” ~ quote by Orison Swett Marden. Surely seeing and smelling, experiencing a bluebell carpeted forest would be an occasion to seize. Photo #15 by Ken Douglas

These bluebell woods surely seem enchanted, alive with spring, so much so that this English Springer Spaniel appears deliriously happy running through them. Photo #16 by Katariina Järvinen & #17 by Katariina Järvinen

Not just dogs love the bluebells; this is Vladimir the Siberian Tiger relaxing in the bluebells at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Photo #18 by Rob Brooks

The photographer said this is the inquisitive Muntjac in the bluebell forest. This animals is also called the “barking deer.” Photo #19 by MARK-SPOKES.COM

Bluebells in the highlands of Ballachulish, Scotland. Although these wildflowers can be planted, they are a woodland plant. So when you see bluebells in a field, it tends to mean that the area was once a woods before man moved it and cut it down. Off the coast of Pembrokeshire in southwestern Wales, beautiful bluebells bloom across the open fields of Skomer island which used to be wooded. Photo #20 by Jim Monk

Springtime comes to Waterton National Park in Canada. Wikipedia states, “Hyacinthoides non-scripta is native to the western parts of Atlantic Europe, from north-western Spain (occasionally even north-western Portugal) to the Netherlands and the British Isles. It is found in Belgium, Great Britain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, and also occurs as a naturalized species in Germany, Italy, and Romania. It has also been introduced to parts of North America, in both the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Washington and Oregon) and the north-eastern United States (Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York).” Photo #21 by Gord McKenna

Bluebells at Badbury Hill. BBC wrote, “The brevity of the bloom gives the sense of the circus coming to town for a few days only. Transience is everywhere at play: in the way that the light falls and changes the color of the woodland floor. When the sun’s high at noon, there’s a sapphire dazzle that leaves an imprint on your retina when you look away. The poet Gerald Manley Hopkins was fascinated by bluebells. He wrote of the ‘blue-buzzed haze’ and how ‘woodland banks wash wet like lakes’ lines that make instant sense when you visit a bluebell woodland like this one.” Photo #22 by Paul Appleton

The bluebells path at the end of an afternoon in Belgium. The bluebells of Halle’s woods has been called one of Belgium’s best kept secrets. Photo #23 by Vincent Brassinne

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul,” ~ John Muir quote. Photo #24 by David Anthony Hall

Bluebell path at Cardross, Scotland. Bluebells “are known as harebells in Scotland. The name originated due to the hares that frequented the fields covered with harebells. Some sources claim that witches turned themselves into hares to hide among the flowers. Another name for bluebells is Dead Man’s bells. This is due to the fact that fairies were believed to cast spells on those who dare to pick or damage the beautiful, delicate flowers. The people of Scotland are fond enough of the flower to continue this tradition in the hopes of protecting the little flower.” Photo #25 by Colin Houston

Sunlight on the enchanted forest. The symbolic meaning of bluebells “have long been symbolic of humility and gratitude. They are associated with constancy, gratitude and everlasting love.” Photo #26 via 1ms

Fairyland bluebells set the imagination loose. And “imagination is more important than knowledge,” said Albert Einstein. He added, “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” Photo #27 by David Bailey

Bluebells in the evening. Mark Twain said, “You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Photo #28 by Christopher_Hawkins

Spring at Ashridge Forest looks almost like something out of a dream. Lanston Hughes stated, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” Photo #29 by ukgardenphotos

Bluebell Woods on Stamford Hill in Stratton Cornwall. Mountain bluebells that are found in the United States were used as medicine by the Cheyenne Indians. The leaves and powdered roots were used to relieve itching from smallpox and measles. The entire plant was used to treat women after childbirth in order to increase milk flow. Photo #30 by Mike Pratt

Meanwhile in Belgium, one of these things is not like the others. Photo #31 by Vincent Brassinne

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” ~ quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. Photo #32 via Desktop Nexus

The sun was going down, path among the bluebells of Belgium. Photo #33 by Vincent Brassinne

An inspirational view, along with a motivational quote by Norman Vincent Peale, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” Photo #34 by Happy Jack

Mossy trees in the bluebell forest. In the ancient forests, bluebells were present but were scarce because the dense tree canopy blocked out the light. It wasn’t until humans started chopping down the woods that bluebells thrived as if it were a floral carpet. Photo #35 via Scenic Reflections

Silent eloquence in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo #36 by Norma Desmond

Bluebell carpet in the enchanted woods. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle,” ~ quote by Albert Einstein. Photo #37 via Kleverish Thoughts

Bluebell Woods by Diamanx. “All our dreams can come true—if we have the courage to pursue them,” quote by Walt Disney. Photo #38 via jchip

Uncle Sam promoting secrecy on Oak Ridge billboard in December 1943. Wikipedia states, “The Manhattan Project operated under a blanket of tight security, but Soviet atomic spies still penetrated the program. It was also charged with gathering intelligence on the German nuclear energy project. Through Operation Alsos, Manhattan Project personnel served in Europe, sometimes behind enemy lines, where they gathered nuclear materials and documents, and rounded up German scientists.” DOE Photo #2 by Ed Westcott

Oak Ridge Tennessee 1966: “Your Stake in the Atom a special traveling exhibit of U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, is housed in its own geodesic, exoskeleton structure some 20 feet high and 50 feet in diameter.” By this time, the atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan, WWII was long over and replaced by the Cold War. The Manhattan Project had turned into a new page in history, the nuclear arms race. DOE Photo #3 by Ed Westcott

Left: Capt. O’Sullivan talking about how ‘Atom Splitting releases energy’ in 1944. Right: Little Boy, the bomb secretly produced at Oak Ridge, was untested. But on July 16, 1945, the atomic bomb created in Los Alamos was tested and this was known as the Trinity Test. DOE Photo #4 by Ed Westcott & #5 by Jack W. Aeby / Special Engineering Detachment at Los Alamos laboratory, working under the aegis of the Manhattan Project

1940s Oak Ridge Military Gate. “Oak Ridge was established in 1942 as a production site for the Manhattan Project—the massive U.S., U.K. and Canadian operation that developed the atomic bomb.” It wasn’t officially called Oak Ridge for a very long time. DOE Photo #6 by Ed Westcott

1942 early construction on the K-25 plant with one of original houses in Oak Ridge. This Tennessee Manhattan Project “location was established within a 17-mile-long (27 km) valley, and the valley itself was linear and partitioned by several ridges, providing natural protection against disasters between the four major industrial plants—so they wouldn’t blow up ‘like firecrackers on a string’.” DOE Photo #7 by Ed Westcott

Workers at Oak Ridge were not allowed to tell anyone what they were working on. The secret Atomic City was constructed in a very short time frame; the scientists and the workers worked around the clock. 1943: ‘This is the only way he gets a day off’ billboard at Oak Ridge During World War II. DOE Photo #8 by Ed Westcott

The government had bought up nearly 70,000 acres of land. Wikipedia states, “About 1,000 families were affected by the condemnation order, which came into effect on 7 October. Protests, legal appeals, and a 1943 congressional inquiry were to no avail. By mid-November US Marshals were tacking notices to vacate on farmhouse doors, and construction contractors were moving in. Some families were given two weeks’ notice to vacate farms that had been their homes for generations; others had settled there after being evicted to make way for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1920s or the Norris Dam in the 1930s. The ultimate cost of land acquisition in the area, which was not completed until March 1945, was only about $2.6 million, which worked out to around $47 an acre. When presented with Public Proclamation Number Two, which declared Oak Ridge a total exclusion area that no one could enter without military permission, the Governor of Tennessee, Prentice Cooper, angrily tore it up.” This April 1944 photo shows workers on break at Oak Ridge Store. DOE Photo #9 by Ed Westcott

October 1943 Oak Ridge Billboard. DOE Photo #10 by Ed Westcott

1943 Interior of PX (post exchange). DOE Photo #11 by Ed Westcott

1943 Outdoor Privies. DOE Photo #12 by Ed Westcott

1944 and building roads; the early roads were mud pits when it rained. Oak Ridge was not even a reality yet. The name wasn’t formally adopted until 1949 and was “only referred to as the Clinton Engineer Works (CEW). All workers wore badges, and the town was surrounded by guard towers and a fence with seven gates.” DOE Photo #13 by Ed Westcott

Stay on the job rally at J.A. Jones Construction Co. Oak Ridge Tennessee 12-14-1944. Thanks in part to compartmentalization by General Leslie Groves, the people at Oak Ridge did not know what they had been working on until news came about the first atomic bomb used against Japan on August 6, 1945. DOE Photo #14 by Ed Westcott

Sister Manhattan Project site billboard in 1944, Hawley Plant Security Poster Allis Chalmers Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Similar security signs were also posted at the secret site in Los Alamos during World War II. All of these secret towns were secretly competing against other facilities that sprung up at the same time in the race to successfully to make an atomic weapon. They used different formulas and were all out to make the first real weapon of mass destruction. DOE Photo #15 by Ed Westcott

Security and secrecy in 1944: A little boy gets a security badge and a man talking on a work-only telephone. DOE Photo #16 by Ed Westcott & DOE Photo #17 by Westcott

Loose lips sink ships (♬), 1940s Oak Ridge billboard. Russian atomic spies were hellbent on espionage. DOE Photo #18 by Ed Westcott

Elza Gate Military Police in 1945. Oak Ridge was “initially known as the Kingston Demolition Range, the site was officially renamed the Clinton Engineer Works (CEW) in early 1943.” DOE Photo #19 by Ed Westcott

1945 K-25 Plant Aerial Oak Ridge Tennessee. ORNL has digitized its photography archives. From 1943-45, “Oak Ridge hosted several uranium separation technologies” like the Y-12 electromagnetic separation plant, and the K-25 and K-27 gaseous diffusion plants. There was also S-50 thermal diffusion plant, but the X-10 was used later for plutonium production. DOE Photo #20 by Ed Westcott

1944 Operation at Oak Ridge Hospital. At one point during WWII, the construction population of the ‘secret’ Manhattan Project ‘atomic city’ swelled to about 70,000 workers. DOE Photo #21 by Ed Westcott

I played with matches? 1940s Fire Truck and kids on Kodachrome. This is one of the rarely seen color Oak Ridge photographs from the 1940s – 1960s. DOE Photo #22 by Ed Westcott

1945 Canteen. At one point during Project Manhattan, Oak Ridge was consuming as much as 10% of the total electricity used in the United States. DOE Photo #23 by Ed Westcott

November 1944 War Bond Drive & Boy Scouts holding the US flag. DOE Photo #24 by Ed Westcott & DOE Photo #25 by Ed Westcott

“Hit ‘em harder” billboard in October 1944. DOE Photo #26 by Ed Westcott

Shift change at Y-12 Oak Ridge Tennessee 8-11-1945; notice the security sign on the right. By May 1945, 82,000 people were employed at the Clinton Engineer Works. DOE Photo #27 by Ed Westcott

October 1943 Oak Ridge Attendance Billboard. The pressure was on to split the atom and construct a bomb to use on Nazi Germany. Atomic spies burrowed into the scientific research at Los Alamos. Nowadays it is cyber-espionage that is equally if not more so ‘deadly’ and dangerous. DOE Photo #28 by Ed Westcott

Battles are not won by Absentees billboard in November 1943. DOE Photo #29 by Ed Westcott

Left: Coal worker at coal yard in 1945. Right: Center Theater ‘Win this Pony Prize’ 11-30-1946. DOE Photo #30 by Ed Westcott & DOE Photo #31 by Ed Westcott

1944 General Ike War Billboard. DOE Photo #32 by Ed Westcott

Police Department – Car Lineup in 1945. DOE Photo #33 by Ed Westcott

Woman welding at K-25 in February 1945. DOE Photo #34 by Ed Westcott

Cart Associated Press on 9-29-45. DOE Photo #35 by Ed Westcott

Alpha Track Calutron at the Y-12 Plant at Oak Ridge, from the Manhattan Project, used for uranium enrichment by electromagnetic separation process — Circa 1944-1945. DOE Photo #36 by Ed Westcott

Whose son will die in the last minute of the war? Wow another trippy billboard in January 1944. Manhattan Project costs through December 31 1945 for the Oak Ridge site was about $1,188,352,000; that is equal to $15.2 billion in 2013. DOE Photo #37 by Ed Westcott

This was what it was like to be a disk jockey in 1945. Bill Pollock – Disk Jockey and Berl Henry singing. DOE Photo #38 by Ed Westcott

1945 Drivers permit bureau eye test. DOE Photo #39 by Ed Westcott

Billboard showing total payroll deduction for 7th war loan drive. DOE Photo #40 by Ed Westcott

Line For Cigarettes in 1945 at Williams Drug Store-Jackson Sq. in Oak Ridge. DOE Photo #41 by Ed Westcott

Not leave or take a penny, but a cigarette. May 1945 Cigarette Gag. DOE Photo #42 by Ed Westcott

MP detachment in 1945. Wikipedia states, “Two types of atomic bomb were developed during the war. A relatively simple gun-type fission weapon was made using uranium-235, an isotope that makes up only 0.7 percent of natural uranium. Since it is chemically identical to the most common isotope, uranium-238, and has almost the same mass, it proved difficult to separate. Three methods were employed for uranium enrichment: electromagnetic, gaseous and thermal. Most of this work was performed at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.” DOE Photo #43 by Ed Westcott

CEW Housing – Hutment – interior February 1945. DOE Photo #44 by Ed Westcott

Atomic emblem on Link Trainer 9-1945. The Nazis threat ended with their surrender, but the Pacific held war with Japan after it bombed Pearl Harbor. DOE Photo #45 by Ed Westcott

Left: Little Boy, the atomic bomb created in Oak Ridge, on a trailer cradle before being loaded into Enola Gay‘s bomb bay. [Note bomb bay door in upper right-hand corner.] The 10 foot long Little Boy weighed about 4.9 tons, 9,700 pounds. Right: At the time this photo was made, smoke billowed 20,000 feet above Hiroshima while smoke from the burst of the first atomic bomb had spread over 10,000 feet on the target at the base of the rising column. Three planes of the 509th Composite Group participated in this mission; one to carry the bomb — the Enola Gay, one to take scientific measurements of the blast — the Great Artiste, the third to take photographs — Necessary Evil. Others flew approximately an hour ahead to act as weather scouts on 08/06/1945 before dropping Little Boy on Hiroshima. Photo #46 by Archival Research Catalog & DoD Photo #47 by Enola Gay Tail Gunner S/Sgt. George R. (Bob) Caron

V-J (Victory over Japan) day Celebration at Jackson Square in Downtown Oak Ridge on 8-14-1945. After August 6 and Little Boy, the US dropped the ‘Fat Man’ atom bomb from Los Alamos onto Nagasaki August 9 1945. The Soviet Union also declared war on Japan on August 9. Japan surrendered. DOE Photo #48 by Ed Westcott

US government photographer Ed Westcott, Army Corp of Engineers, in his dark room at Clinton Engineer Works, Oak Ridge, 1945. Photo #49 by DOE

1946 Solway Gate MPs on duty. About atomic spies, Wikipedia states, “To obtain this information from the Manhattan Project, the Soviet Union needed spies that, first of all, had security clearance high enough to have access to classified information, and secondly, could understand and interpret what they were stealing. Moscow also needed reliable spies who believed in the communist cause and would provide accurate information. One such Soviet spy was Theodore Hall, who had been a developer on the bombs dropped in Japan. Hall gave up the specifications of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. This information allowed the Soviet scientists a firsthand look at the successful set up of an atomic weapon built by the Allied team.” DOE Photo #50 by Ed Westcott

Rare color 1947 aerial photo of Oak Ridge National Lab. During that period, Oak Ridge’s nicknames included “the Atomic City, the Secret City, the Ridge, and the City Behind the Fence.” ORNL is still a very important scientific center. Cyber-spies have tried to get into ONRL, using phishing emails and malware, but many such important sites are targets for cyber espionage in today’s world. Do you suppose cybersecurity billboards would help strengthen passwords, batten down the hatches, or get the appropriate people to unplug critical infrastructure that need not be connected the the Internet? DOE Photo #51 by Ed Westcott

Sept. 3, 1948 Logan Emlett with first Atomic Power Plant at X-10 Graphite Reactor, Oak Ridge. DOE Photo #52 by Ed Westcott

Elza Gate opening celebration on 3-19-1949. DOE Photo #53 by L.S. Chastagner

April 1949 City Limits Sign. The secret Atomic City officially becomes “Oak Ridge.” DOE Photo #54 by Ed Westcott

1949 Elza Gate Security Patrol. DOE Photo #55 by Ed Westcott

1959 Dr Alvin Weinburg and Sen. John F. Kennedy at the Graphite Reactor at ORNL. DOE Photo #56 by Ed Westcott

1960 Security Billboard: The wishful thinker. DOE Photo #57 by Ed Westcott

1960 Security Billboard ‘One In Every Crowd’ . . . it’s perhaps still true today. DOE Photo #58 by Ed Westcott

Scarboro was one of several communities in the Oak Ridge area dispersed in order to build a base for the Manhattan Project. Photo #59 by Brian Stansberry

1970 Oak Ridge Security Billboard. DOE Photo #60 by Ed Westcott

Now we sit on the brink of a new war, cyberwar. Video #1 by wabajob

Be sure to take a camera to Caño Cristales. It was off limits for three years due to of FARC guerrilla activity in the region. In 2009, it was reopened to the public. The official site states, “The area of ​​La Macarena was an area of ​​coca plant cultivation and this created many social and security problems. Visiting La Macarena could be dangerous. However, today, is a military controlled area.” It adds, “In a weekend you will find many foreigners from different countries and much visiting this most Colombian traveler. Go in peace, now the municipality of La Macarena is in excellent safety. Your trip will be enjoyable and safe. However, we recommend that you avoid traveling by road, as it transits from Villavicencio conflict areas, far from La Macarena, but worth avoiding.” Photo #2 by Mario Carvajal

The La Macarena National and Ecological Reserve Park is internationally known as Caño Cristales by international ecotourists. Photo #3 by Peter Fitzgerald

View of Caño Cristales, the River of Five Colors, La Macarena, Colombia. A tourist review states, “Last year I had a great experience in Colombia, I went to Caño Cristales, the river of colors. The ‘Macarenia Clavijera’ (an aquatic plant that gives the red color to the river) has a life cycle that depends on the river flow. The plant dies in the dry season while in the rainy season it extends along the river bed. This is why the season of visits ranges from June to November. The river has very interesting rock formations, natural swimming pools and waterfalls. This place is still an undiscovered travel destination in Colombia for foreigners. En excellent trip!” Photo #4 by Peter Fitzgerald

Like a Monet painting, Caño Crystals. Photo #5 by Guillermo Vasquez

“Beautiful river, colorful water, aquatic plant product with sun turn red, green.” It is located in Colombia, near the town of La Macarena. Photo #6 by Mario Carvajal

Panorama of Caño Cristales. The time of year to travel to Rio Caño Cristales is between July and December when the aquatic plants are in bloom. Photo #7 by Guillermo Vasquez

The rocks around Macarena are about 1200 million years old. Photo #8 via iClickfun

A review from September 2012 states, “It is beautifully exotic. Safe hiking, unique sightseeing and great swimming by wonderful waterfalls. Red subaquatic plants give an extraordinary touch to the river and all surroundings.” Photo #9 via Twisted Sifter

Many travelers say that photos of the ‘Most Beautiful River in the World’ simply don’t do it justice if you visit when the blooms are just right. Photo #10 by Andres Felipe Quiroga Striedinger & #11 by Reza Ahmeds & #12 by rachelcifelli

Natural phenomena. However according to Intact Nature, “We don’t know a lot about this rare plant. What we know is that for a brief period in between wet and dry season, river is just high enough for the plant to have enough sun to turn red. In wet period water is too high and in dry period there is not enough water to sustain life in the river. So somewhere between September and November water is just about right for Macarenia Clavigera to blossom. Before and after, Cano Cristales looks just like most of the rivers in Colombia, crystal clear water with rocks full of moss.” Photo #13 via Fondos Blackberry

The official tourism website of Colombia says to “Help us show strikingly colorful river of five colors, Caño Crystals, to the rest of the world.” Photo #14 by Oliver Castelblanco

Rocks, cascading waterfalls and blooming endemic plant species Macarenia clavígera. Photo #15 by Guillermo Vasquez & #16 by Oliver Castelblanco

According to Wikipedia, “The small circular pits, -giant’s kettle- that characterize the river bed have been opened by high hardness minerals. When one of these hard mineral fragments falls into one of the cavities, large or small, begins to brushing rotate with the cavity wall and increases the dimensions of the well.” Photo #17 by Oliver Castelblanco

The river has many very interesting rock formations, natural swimming pools and waterfalls. Photo #18 by Guillermo Vasquez

Zooming out to see more of those nature-made swimming pools and waterfalls in this panorama. Photo #19 by Guillermo Vasquez

Rio Cano Castales is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. Photo #20 via iClickfun

Fully zoomed out, this is an ISS view looking down at Caño Cristales. Photo #21 by ISS / NASA

This baby owl was near the river, but the mountain “is home to about 420 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians, 43 species of reptiles and 8 primates.” Wikipedia added, “The area is of tropical climate and temperatures range from 42 °F (5.5°C) to 88 °F (31°C). These aspects help to maintain a high level of biodiversity with numerous endemic and rare species.” Photo #22 by Luis Alejandro Bernal Romero

Despite all the fauna that live near the river, you won’t any fish living in Cano Castales “due to its lack of drag and sedimentation materials.” Photo #23 by Guillermo Vasquez

When the conditions are just right, algae and moss bloom. This is the macarenia clavigera up close. Photo #24 by Peter Fitzgerald

Looking underwater at the river. Photo #25 by Guillermo Vasquez

Underwater flora. Photo #26 by Guillermo Vasquez

Underwater closeup of flora in full bloom. Photo #27 by Guillermo Vasquez

The stones are covered with moss and algae, and when conditions are just right, you see yellow, blue, green, black and red from above in the river of five colors. Photo #28 by Guillermo Vasquez

Caño Cristales swimming hole. Photo #29 by Guillermo Vasquez

Person submerged in a swimming hole. Photo #30 by iClickfun

There are reportedly numerous holes like this for swimmers as well waterfalls in the area, but they are obscured from view due to the steep topography. Photo #31 via iClickfun

Waterfall and pink algae. Photo #32 via Fondos Blackberry

Panorama of the unique biological wonder of the ‘river that ran away from paradise.’ Photo #33 by Guillermo Vasquez

Exotic beauty of ‘the most beautiful river in the world.’ Photo #34 by Astromario / Mario Carvajal & #35 by Guillermo Vasquez

Living, breathing Monet . . . by nature. Photo #36 by Guillermo Vasquez

Canos de Cristales Colombia. Photo #37 via Fondos Blackberry

Rainbow over Gullfoss waterfall in southwest Iceland during July. It is called Golden Falls in English. About a half mile (kilometer) above the falls, the Hvítá river makes a sharp turn to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step ‘staircase.’ Gullfoss then abruptly plunges in two stages 36 feet and 69 ft (11 m and 21 m) into a 105 feet deep (32 m) crevice that is about 60 ft (20 m) wide, and 2.5 km in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. Photo #2 by O Palsson

Golden Falls (Gullfoss) and chasm in early March. The photographer noted how slick the walk was and to be careful not to slip and fall into the treacherous chasm. The average amount of water running over this waterfall nearly doubles from winter to summertime. This multi-step type of waterfalls is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. Photo #3 by Carl Jones

Aldeyjarfoss waterfall in the Highlands of Iceland. “One of the most interesting features of the waterfall is the contrast between the black basalt columns and the white waters of the fall,” states Wikipedia. Photo #4 by Johann Dréo

The photographer wanted to give you a scale of Aldeyjarfoss. Photo #5 by Jon Ragnarsson

With a cumulative height of 330 ft, 100m, Dynjandi (also known as Fjallfoss) is a set of waterfalls located in Westfjords of Iceland. Photo #6 by Gouldy99

World of Waterfalls states, “Definitely our favorite Westfjords waterfall and we think By far the most spectacular one in the remote Westfjords (Vestfirðir) region. Befitting of this notion is that the word ‘dynjandi’ means ‘thunderous’ in Icelandic. It’s actually a series of waterfalls (seven in all) with a cumulative height of 100 m” (330 ft). Photo #7 by Gouldy99

At 387 ft (118 m), Hengifoss has been one of Iceland’s tallest waterfalls. The thin layers of red clay between basaltic lava are fossilized trunks of coniferous trees. Seeing the people hiking toward Hengifoss helps give scale to how huge this waterfall truly is. Photo #8 by Zanthia

Below Hengifoss (left) is another waterfall called Litlanesfoss (right) which is framed with beautiful basaltic pillars. These waterfalls are in eastern Iceland, next to the biggest forest in Iceland, Hallormsstaðarskógur, and near a lake called Lagarfljót. According to Wikipedia, “As in the Scottish lake Loch Ness, a cryptid serpent, called Lagarfljótsormurinn by locals, is believed by some to live in the depths of Lagarfljót.” Photo #9 by Zanthia & #10 by Víctor Bautista

Top: Panorama of Dettifoss. Dettifoss is a 330 ft (100 m) wide waterfall located in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland. Bottom: Aerial view, taken in May, of the waterfall dropping 150 ft (45 m) down to Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. Photo #11 by Aborchersen & #12 by Hansueli Krapf

Did you see the film Prometheus? The Dettifoss waterfall was used in the movie’s opening scene showing an Engineer creating life. Dettifoss is the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Photo #13 by Zanthia

In western Iceland, water flows through about 2953 ft (900 m) of lava field and emerges to form a series of waterfalls called Hraunfossar. The lava field Hallmundarhraun is believed to have formed around 800 AD, shortly before the first settlers are recorded as making Iceland their home. Photo #14 by Enrique Domingo

Close up of Hraunfossar, which means “lava falls” and a series of springs cascading through the rough grooves of the lava. The falls feed into a blue-colored river Hvitá. Photo #15 by Federico Moroni

Literally a stone’s throw upstream from Hraunfossar, along the glacial river Hvitá, is another waterfall called Barnafoss. The falls are the subject of many Icelandic folk tales, which is also why Barnafoss is known as the “children’s waterfall.” The area was declared a national monument in 1987. Photo #16 by Greg Headley & #17 by Olikristinn

The most famous Icelandic folk mythology about Barnafoss is “about two boys from a nearby farm, Hraunsás. One day, the boys’ parents went with their ploughmen to a church. The boys were supposed to stay at home, but as they grew bored they decided to follow their parents. They made a shortcut and crossed a natural stone-bridge that was above the waterfall. But on their way, they felt dizzy and fell into the water and drowned. When their mother found out what had happened, she put a spell on the bridge saying that nobody would ever cross it without drowning himself. A little while later, the bridge was demolished in an earthquake.” Photo #18 by Finnur Malmquist & #19 by Pet_r

Háifoss, meaning High Falls, is Iceland’s second highest waterfall. Photo #20 by Pierre Dauwe

Háifoss plunging 400 ft (122 m) over the cliff. Photo #21 by G8w & #22 by Jonathan Tweed & #23 by Sabrina Jeremias

Seljalandsfoss Panorama. The photographer wrote, “The moving shadow that casts the waterfall on the mossy rock wall, beautiful and sexy.” Photo #24 by Wolf-Ulf Wulfrolf

Seljalandsfoss waterfall, of the river Seljalandsá, drops 200 ft (60 m) over the cliffs of the former coastline. Here it is frozen in Icelandic winter. Photo #25 by The blanz

Morsárfoss, a 775 ft (227 m) waterfall formed from the retreat of the Morsárjökull glacier; it is now Iceland’s tallest falls. Morsárfoss is 90 ft (30 m) “higher than Glymur, the previous record holder. It is discovered in 2007 and its height is measured for the first time in 2011. It is located in the south, in the Vatnajökull National Park.” Photo #26 by Óðinn & #27 by Julien Carnot

Systrafoss (Sister Falls) in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, southern Iceland. Photo #28 by L’oeil de Thomas

“Gljufrafoss is a small waterfall north of the larger falls of Seljalandsfoss in Iceland. The falls are partially obscured by the cliff rock, and a winding trail and wooden ladder enable sightseers to climb roughly halfway up and view the falls,” states Wikipedia. You can walk the distance between the two falls. “Gljúrfrafoss, or chasm-waterfall, is a waterfall hidden in a small chasm accessible through this narrow passageway. One can also climb the cliff on the right and look at it from above,” wrote the photographer. Photo #29 by Richard Gould & #30 by Richard Gould

Selfoss panorama. The photographer wrote, “Selfoss is one of Iceland’s most incredible waterfalls because it’s not just a single stream but rather a series of streams in many locations.” Wikipedia states, “Selfoss is a waterfall in the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the north of Iceland which drops over some waterfalls about 30 km (18 miles) before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea. A few hundred meters downstream of the Selfoss waterfall (11 m high), the Dettifoss waterfall is situated, the most powerful waterfall of Europe.” Photo #31 by Simon Bonaventure & #32 by Jonathan (IceNineJon)

Faxi in June. Photo #33 by Johan Wieland

“Faxi, (or Vatnsleysufoss) waterfall is located on the Golden Circle, a popular tourist trail east of Reykjavik. The waterfall is located on the Tungufljót river.” Photo #34 by Álfheiður Magnúsdóttir

“Fagrifoss in July. Fagrifoss waterfall is “situated in Southeast Iceland near the Lakagígar region. It is located along the 4×4 road F206 approximately 24 km (15 mi) from Kirkjubæjarklaustur and 40 km (25 mi) from Laki. Access to the waterfall requires the crossing of a river ford, for which a 4×4 vehicle is needed.” Photo #35 by Nicolas Lœuillet

Southern Iceland, Oxarafoss In Winter. Photo #36 by Hotelgreg11

Öxarárfoss is a small waterfall in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland. It flows from the river Öxará. The base of the waterfall is filled with rocks and is often very icy in winter. Photo #37 by Jerzystrzelecki

October view of Hjálparfoss waterfall in Iceland. Photo #38 by Bromr from nl

June at Hjálparfoss waterfall in south Iceland. Hjálparfoss is one of several waterfalls in the south of Iceland situated in the lava fields north of the stratovolcano Hekla near the point where the rivers Fossá and Þjórsá join.” Photo #39 by saffirahweby

July at Svartifoss or “Black Fall” is one of the many waterfalls of Skaftafell National Park, It’s beautifully surrounded by basalt columns. Photo #40 by aspheric.lens

Wikipedia states, Svartifoss (Black Fall) is a waterfall in Skaftafell National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns, which gave rise to its name. Other well-known columnar jointing formations are seen at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, USA and on the island of Staffa in Scotland. The base of this waterfall is noteworthy for its sharp rocks. New hexagonal column sections break off faster than the falling water wears down the edges. These basalt columns have provided inspiration for Icelandic architects, most visibly in the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, and also the National Theater.” Photo #41 by Andreas Tille

Seen here is the Gjáin fall and part the small canyon of Gjáin in the south of Iceland. A multitude of small waterfalls characterize the landscape. Photo #42 by Reykholt

Gjáin in July; it has many small waterfalls. Photo #43 by Ingunn Nielsen

Glymur in the Hvalfjörður area. At 640 ft (198 m) this falls was thought to be the in Iceland, but it was surpassed with a new falls by Morsárjökull in 2011. Photo #44 by Jabbi

640 ft Glymur. Photo #45 by Sigurdur Jonsson & #46 by vd1966

The waterfall Þjófafoss viewed from Merkurhraun lava fields. Photo #47 by Grunkhead

Same falls, Þjófafoss when raging with muddy water. Photo #48 by Ross (simpsora)

Sunset at Goðafoss in Winter, Iceland. According to Wikipedia, “The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 39 ft (12 m) over a width of 98 ft (30 m). In the year 999 or 1000 the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion it is said that upon returning from the Alþingi, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. Þorgeir’s story is preserved in Ari Þorgilsson’s Íslendingabók. A window in the Cathedral of Akureyri (Akureyrarkirkja) illustrates this story. Named after the waterfall was MS Goðafoss, an Icelandic ship carrying both freight and passengers, that was sunk by a German U-Boat in World War II, resulting in great loss of lives.” Photo #49 by Andreas Tille

Rainbow over Goðafoss waterfall in northern Iceland. The photographer wrote, “Resistant basalt flow layers make for many, many waterfalls in Iceland.” Photo #50 by Richard Droker

“Ófærufoss is a waterfall situated in the Eldgjá chasm in central Iceland. Until the early 1990s a natural bridge spanned the falls, but it collapsed from natural causes.” Photo #51 by Natale Carioni

Ofaerufoss, a type of cascading waterfall. Photo #52 by Mickaël Delcey & #53 by gatomato

Skógafoss (Forest Falls), a Jewel of Iceland. Photo #54 by Chase Dekker

Skógafoss (Forest Falls): This plunge waterfall drops 197 ft (60 m) and is 82 ft (25 m) wide. Photo #55 by Domenico (kugel) & #56 by Heather Buckley

Hafragilsfoss waterfall in Jokulsargljufur National Park, northern Iceland. The waterfall “has a single drop of 27 meters (89 feet) and has an average width of 91 meters (300 feet). Photo #57 by Alexander Shchukin

Closer to Hafragilsfoss, which is just below Dettifoss. Photo #58 by Alessandro Mariani

Litlanesfoss by Orsolya Haarberg. This waterfall is also called Hengifoss. Photo #59 by Orsolya Haarberg via All That Is Interesting

Moonshimmering Öxarárfoss waterfall and Aurora Borealis. Photo #60 by Arnar Valdimarsson

The photographer wrote, “A transparent butterfly, shot in the Washington DC Smithsonian museum of natural history, in their live butterfly exhibit.” E.L.G. wrote, “Well-fed, the butterflies will last for at least 6 weeks, (and I suspect maybe as long as 12 weeks), and they don’t damage easily, despite their fragile appearance.” Photo #2 by Greg Foster

Glasswinged or Glasswing butterfly, seen at Edinburgh’s Butterfly & Insect World, Scotland. Photo #3 by

The Greta Oto: according to Wikipedia, “The wings are translucent, with a wingspan of 5.6 to 6.1 cm (2.2 to 2.4 in).” Photo #4 by Scott Wylie

The photographer noted, “The clear wings make this South-American butterfly hard to see in flight, a successful defense mechanism.” Photo #5 by Eddy Van 3000

A glasswing can carry up to 40 times its body weight. Photo #6 by pendens proditor

Spotted in a cloud forest in Hueyapan Township, north of the mountains of Puebla, Mexico. Photo #7 by César Hernández Hernández

Bodies are dark and the opaque borders of the glasswings are often dark brown, but can be tinted with red or orange. Photo #8 by Hamish Irvine

In nature, the glasswing butterfly can be found living from Mexico through Panama. Photo #9 by Lorna Mitchell

Amazing metamorphosis from caterpillar to translucency of a window. Photo #10 by labbradolci

Hidden in Plain Sight, a research paper, states (pdf), “Transparency is a camouflage that is possible in a habitat with no surfaces to match or hide behind.” This glasswing was seen at Butterfly Conservatory, El Castillo, Costa Rica. Photo #11 by Paulo Philippidis

Glasswinged butterfly at the London Zoo. Eggs hatch, then the green caterpillars eat toxic leaves. “Adults are also assumed to be toxic, but their toxicity results mainly from males feeding on flowers (e.g., Asteraceae) whose nectar contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These same alkaloids also are converted into pheromones by the males and used to attract females.” Photo #12 by Michael Camilleri

Glasswing on a bird of paradise. Photo #13 by Farrukh

The Greta oto is one of the most commonly known examples, but more than 20 small butterflies have evolved to having clear wings. Those transparent wings make it difficult for predatory birds to track the butterflies in flight. Photo #14 by Erwin Bolwidt & #15 by bzd1

Glasswing with chrysalis, taken at the Felinwynt Rain Forest Center. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly,” ~ quote by Richard Bach. Photo #16 by Kal Ahmed

Glasswing feasting on pineapple. Photo #17 by Esther Simpson

Captive glasswing at Edinburgh Butterfly Farm, Scotland. Photo #18 by Sandy__R

Dinner for two. Photo #19 by Rene Mensen

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Ecology and Physiology of Organismal Transparency (pdf) states, “Transparency is a fascinating and surprisingly common characteristic that has received little attention because the majority of transparent species are found only in the pelagic regions of the open ocean.” Photo #20 by stelene2011

5 sets of glass wings. Photo #21 by Esther Simpson

Extraordinary evolution to transparency is being studied to more fully understand it. Photo #22 by gynti_46

Young butterfly whisperers. “Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder,” ~ quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Photo #23 by Jose R Valverde & #24 by zingyyellow…!

The photographer wrote, “The Glasswinged butterfly (Greta oto) is normally a skittish creature, but this one decided to spend some time on my left hand, resting there long enough to enable a few snaps to be taken with my camera held in the other hand! Most of this beastie’s wings are completely transparent, hence the common name.” Photo #25 by Dougie Mathieson

Greta oto is a brush-footed butterfly. Photo #26 by labbradolci

Macro photography of glasswing’s face and eyes. Photo #27 by labbradolci

Transparent at Butterfly Garden, Icod delos Vinos, Tenerife, Spain. Photo #28 by Jose R Valverde

Up-close and personal in Amsterdam. “Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes,” ~ quote Author Unknown. Photo #29 by Benjamin Pender

Odd, random fact: The glasswing butterfly is capable of flying at speeds of up to 8 mph. Photo #30 by Scott Wylie

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty,” ~ quote by Maya Angelou. Photo #31 by David Tiller

“Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days,” ~ quote by Ellen DeGeneres. Photo #32 by Rene Mensen

Dr Seuss once said, “In my world, everyone’s a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!” Photo #33 by labbradolci

John Keats wrote, “I almost wish we were butterflies and lived but three summer days – three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.” Photo #34 by Leandre – Castellfollit Roca (Girona)

Glasswing at Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. Photo #35 by Ryan Somma

Before: Glasswing larva feeding on Passifloraceae. Photo #36 by ferociall

After. Photo #37 by rumpelstiltskin1

“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough,” ~ quote by Rabindranath Tagore. Photo #38 by Wallpapers Wide

“Love is like a butterfly, hold it too tight, it’ll crush. Hold it too loose, it’ll fly,” ~ Author unknown. Photo #39 by WallpapersWa

“He said that we belonged together because he was born with a flower and I was born with a butterfly and that flowers and butterflies need each other for survival,” ~ by Gemma Malley. Photo #40 by FanPop

Nature is capable of simply gorgeous wonders. “The earth has music for those who listen,” ~ George Santayana. Photo #41 by wallpaperforpc

“The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity,” ~ quote by George Carlin. Photo #42 by picc.it

Smilodon: Saber-toothed cat, commonly and incorrectly called a saber-toothed tiger. It died out about 10,000 years ago because of climate changes at the end of the last Ice Age. This Saber-tooth cat model was “flagged” as inaccurate because the paws were considered too small. National Geographic wrote, “Bringing Them Back to Life: The revival of an extinct species is no longer a fantasy. But is it a good idea?” Photo #2 by Tiberio

Life-sized models of a Woolly mammoth and a baby Woolly Mammoth in the Brno museum Anthropos. These prehistoric animals were about the same size as African elephants are today. 6,400 years ago, a group lived on St. Paul Island and another group lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean until about 4,000 years ago. Scientists have access to well-preserved DNA due to the discovery of frozen carcasses. The National Geographic article continues: “’It’s gone very much further, very much more rapidly than anyone ever would’ve imagined,’ says Ross MacPhee, a curator of mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. ‘What we really need to think about is why we would want to do this in the first place, to actually bring back a species’.” Photo #3 by HTO

Mastodon compared to man. About 12,000 years ago, the Mastodon became extinct. It was related to elephants that lived in North and Central America. Michael Archer, a paleontologist at the University of New South Wales, is in favor of de-extinction and told National Geographic, “‘If we’re talking about species we drove extinct, then I think we have an obligation to try to do this. Some people protest that reviving a species that no longer exists amounts to playing God. Archer scoffs at the notion. ‘I think we played God when we exterminated these animals’.” Photo #4 by Dantheman9758

Thylacine, The Tasmanian tiger was also called Tasmanian wolf. It lived in Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea until the 1960s when it became extinct. It was the only marsupial to make the list. Photo #5 by Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office

The flightless Dodo birds were considered a myth for a long time. “Even though the rareness of the Dodo was reported already in the 17th century, its extinction was not recognized until the 19th century.” These flightless birds are known for being dumb, but they had no predators on their island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, so they were fearless. When humans came to the Dodos home island, the birds were all killed for food. The photographer said that the photo was from a movie that showed Primeval Dodos not being “the soft-hearted creatures we thought.” Photo #6 by mwanasimba

Extinct Quagga, seen here stuffed in the Naturkunde Museum, Berlin. It was related to the plains zebra and lived in South Africa. In 1870, the last wild Quagga was shot and in 1883 the last one in captivity died. Photo #7 by FunkMonk

The extinct sea mammal Steller’s sea cow, was related to manatees, but was much larger and “grew to at least 8 to 9 meters (26 to 30 ft) in length as an adult.” It is believed have become extinct in 1768. “Within 27 years of discovery by Europeans, the slow-moving and easily-captured Steller’s sea cow was hunted to extinction.” This hydrodamalis gigas skeleton is at the National Museum of Natural History, Paris. Photo #8 by FunkMonk

Should We Bring Extinct Species Back to Life? Video #1 by NationalGeographic

Aurochs were ancestors to domestic cattle. They were once a distributed in almost whole of Europe, large parts of Asia, and North Africa, but they were extinct by 1627. Photo #9 by vic15

The Pyrenean ibex died out in January 2000, but had lived in Southern France and the Northern Pyrenees. It was more commonly called bucardo in Spanish and was one of the “four subspecies of the Spanish ibex or Iberian wild goat, a species that is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.” Before it became extinct, “scientists attempted to clone DNA from one of the last females.” National Geographic explained, “On July 30, 2003, a team of Spanish and French scientists reversed time. They brought an animal back from extinction, if only to watch it become extinct again.” This is the animal they revived. 1898 Illustration #10 by Richard Lydekker

The last confirmed sighting of the Caribbean monk seal in the wild was “in 1952 at Serranilla Bank, between Jamaica and Nicaragua.” It was sometimes called the sea wolf or west Indian seal. As an adult, they reached about 8 ft (2.4 m) in length. They are closely related to Hawaiian monk seals and Mediterranean monk seals, both of which are “critically endangered.” After a five year search by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Fisheries Service, this seal species was officially declared extinct in 2008. These docile seals were killed for blubber and over-fishing of reefs added to their demise. The photo was from 1910 of a captured Caribbean monk seal at the New York Aquarium. Photo #11 by New York Zoological Society & Scientific sketch by U.S. National Museum via NOAA

Remember the extinct Quagga above? This exhibit at the Naturalis in Leiden, Netherlands, also has a stuffed Great Auk, another flightless bird like the Dodo. The Quagga is believed to have been the last one alive. It passed away at the Amsterdam Artis Zoo in 1883. In front is the Leiden Auk, Great Auk specimen. The Great Auk is believed to have gone extinct in 1852. Revive & Restore ‘How Desirable’ criteria is: “Iconic? Beloved? Missed? Did the species play an important ecological role? Was the species the last of its genus or family, and not just one sub-species among several surviving sub-species? Will having the species back help answer important scientific questions?” Photo #12 by Konstantin Kirilov

The Baiji, also called Chinese river dolphin, or Yangtze River dolphin, is one of three sea mammals on the list of candidate species. Wikipedia states, “In August 2007, a Chinese man reportedly videotaped a large white animal swimming in the Yangtze. Although it was tentatively confirmed that the animal on the video is probably a baiji, the presence of only one or a few animals, particularly of advanced age, is not enough to save a functionally extinct species from true extinction. The last known living baiji was Qi Qi, who died in 2002.” Photo #13 by Alessio Marrucci & Photo via Animal Info

Extinct New Zealand bird, the moa was also flightless. Wikipedia states, “The moa’s only predator was the massive Haast’s Eagle until the arrival of human settlers. The Māori arrived sometime before A.D. 1300, and all moa genera were soon driven to extinction by hunting and, to a lesser extent, forest clearance. By about A.D. 1400 almost all moa are generally thought to have become extinct, along with the Haast’s Eagle which had relied on them for food.” Left: A model of a Haast’s Eagle attacking a moa on display at Te Papa. Right: Preserved moa foot, Natural History Museum. Photo #14 by DO’Neil & Photo by Ryan Baumann

It is widely believed that the extinction of Aepyornis, commonly called the Elephant bird, was a result of human activity. The flightless birds used to live from the northern to the southern tip of Madagascar. “The exact time period when they died out is also not certain; tales of these giant birds may have persisted for centuries in folk memory.” Revive & Restore Practical criteria is: “Was the extinction recent? Close living relative available? Deep-frozen tissue or germ plasm available? Well preserved specimens with ‘ancient DNA’ available? Manageably smallish genome? Enough specimens for genetic diversity? Eggs accessible in the living related females for easier cloning?” Photo #15 by LadyofHats

Carolina parakeet, mounted specimen, Museum Wiesbaden, Deutschland, Germany. It was “the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. The last known wild specimen was killed in Okeechobee County, Florida, in 1904, and the last captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo on February 21, 1918.” Photo #16 by Fritz Geller-Grimm

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, at roughly 20 inches in length and 30 inches in wingspan. It was native to the virgin forests of the southeastern United States. Despite these high-profile reports from Arkansas and Florida and sporadic reports elsewhere in the historic range of the species since the 1940s, there is no conclusive evidence for the continued existence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.” The hand-painted black and white photo: “Male Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Believed to be extinct in the 1960-70′s in the United States, but found in Cuba in 1980′s.” Photo #17 by Arthur A. Allen & colored by Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service

Passenger pigeon, or wild pigeon, was a North American bird that became extinct in 1914. Photo #18 by Keith Schengili-Roberts

Tricolor Cuban Macaw, also called the Cuban Red Macaw went extinct in the late 19th century. “It was the last species of macaw native to the Caribbean islands to go extinct.” 1800 Painting #19 by Jacques Barraband & 1907 Painting by John Gerrard Keulemans

The Imperial Woodpecker “is the world’s largest woodpecker species at 56–60 cm (22–24 in) long. It was once widespread and, until the early 1950s, not uncommon throughout the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. The last confirmed report was of one female in Durango in 1956 and the species is probably now extinct.” The photo shows stuffed Imperial Woodpeckers, male (top) and female. Revive & Restore Rewildable criteria is: “Original habitat intact or restorable? Are original causes of the extinction known and correctable? Will the species breed easily in captivity? Are its skills for the wild independent of wild-parent training? Is rewilding workable for the species? Is rewilding the species workable for the habitat?” Photo #20 by Fritz Geller-Grimm

Stuffed Labrador Ducks; these North American birds have been extinct since 1878. Photo #21 by Ryan Somma

Specimen of female Heath Hen in the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois. “They lived in the scrubby heathland barrens of coastal North America from southernmost New Hampshire to northern Virginia in historical times, but possibly south to Florida prehistorically.” The Heath hen became extinct in 1932. Photo #22 by Arthur Chapman

The last definite known Dusky Seaside Sparrow “died on June 17, 1987, and the subspecies was officially declared extinct in December 1990. Its dark coloration and distinct song are what separates it as a subspecies of other seaside sparrows. The dusky’s demise began in 1940 when DDT was sprayed on the marshes for the control of mosquitoes. This pesticide entered the bird’s food chain which caused the population to go from 2,000 to 600 breeding pairs. When Merritt Island was flooded with the goal of reducing the mosquito population around Kennedy Space Center, the sparrows’ nesting grounds were devastated, and their numbers plummeted. Later, the marshes surrounding the river were drained, to facilitate highway construction; this was a further blow. Eventually, pollution and pesticides took such a high toll that by 1979, only six dusky seaside sparrows were known to exist — all of whom were males; a female was last sighted in 1975.” Photo #23 by United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Taxidermy exhibit of a Huia pair at Museum für Naturkunde, Germany. Huia “was the largest species of New Zealand wattlebird; the last confirmed sighting of a Huia was on 28 December 1907 in the Tararua Ranges.” Photo #24 by Haplochromis

Male and female Moho “that were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.” Before extinction, they were known as ‘O’o in Hawaii. Photo #25 by 1893 Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans & 1893 Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans

Nah, no dinosaurs on the de-extinction list; we just think T-Rex is pretty cool. “Welcome to Jurassic Park!! The photographer added, “At the Natural History Museum of London there are several robotics dinosaurs which are so impressive!” National Geographic wrote, “In Jurassic Park dinosaurs are resurrected for their entertainment value. The disastrous consequences that follow have cast a shadow over the notion of de-extinction, at least in the popular imagination. But people tend to forget that Jurassic Park was pure fantasy. In reality the only species we can hope to revive now are those that died within the past few tens of thousands of years and left behind remains that harbor intact cells or, at the very least, enough ancient DNA to reconstruct the creature’s genome. Because of the natural rates of decay, we can never hope to retrieve the full genome of Tyrannosaurus rex, which vanished about 65 million years ago.” Photo #26 by Ignacio García

Because we first thought of Jurassic Park when we heard that scientists want to bring back this list of candidate species from extinction, we wanted to show Jurassic Park clips as it was a great movie. My son was crazy for dinosaurs after he saw it. He knew so much about dinos at age 3 that the executive director of the Natural History and Science Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was impressed, probably thinking future paleontologist. My son was given a grand tour, including behind the scenes. It was pretty cool. Video #2 by movieclips

Plenty of people would like to go see such an island with dinosaurs . . . at least when they aren’t real. Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park, Gandhinagar, is known as ‘India’s Jurassic Park.’ It has been described as the second largest hatchery of dinosaur eggs in the world. The Park was set up by the Geological Survey of India.” Photo #27 by FabSubeject

Velociraptor at Valencia, Spain. Photo #28 by Marta S. Gufstasson

Raptors in the Kitchen (1993) HD. Here we are in 2013 and the movie was made into 3D. Video #3 by movieclips

Model of allosaurus in Bałtow Jurassic Park, Bałtów, Poland. Photo #29 by Jakub Hałun

Spinosaurus vs. T-Rex (2001) HD. Video #4 by movieclips

Jurassic Park sign at filming location of Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu. If they really could create such a park, and that probably wouldn’t end well in the long run, would you go? Photo #30 by William Fisher

The Making of Jurassic Park. Do you think scientists should resurrect tamer extinct species . . . or do you suppose if successful and science capabilities advance that our children’s children might someday visit a place like Jurassic Park? Video #5 by NBCJurassicPark