January 11, 2008

Butterfly, Polynesia, 2003
Photograph by Tim Laman
Blue-and-white eyespots adorn the velvety black wings of a butterfly on a Polynesian island. The diffuse Pacific islands make up some 1,400 specks of land scattered across an expanse of ocean more than twice the size of the continental United States. Unique ecosystems here force animals to adapt into subspecies that are often endemic to a single island.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Islands of the Pacific," March 2003, National Geographic magazine)

January 12, 2008

Tribal Elder with Camels, Oman, 1992
Photograph by James Stanfield
A Bedouin tribal elder tends camels at nightfall in Sahamah, Oman. Arabian camels, also called dromedaries, have been domesticated for some 3,500 years. Valued as pack animals, they can carry large loads for up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) a day. They also have a number of special physical adaptations that help them thrive in desert conditions.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oman," May 1995, National Geographic magazine)

January 13, 2008

Brass Band, Romania, 1983
Photograph by James Stanfield
A sousaphone player and his bandmates add a folksy note to a wedding celebration in Putna, Romania. Located on migration routes on the Balkan Peninsula, Romania has been shaped by waves of passing peoples including Taters, Bulgarians, Ottomans, and Habsburgs, each of which left traces of their cultural traditions in the predominantly Eastern Orthodox country.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Byzantine Empire: Rome of the East," December 1983, National Geographic magazine)

January 14, 2008

Forest Chaser Dragonfly, Taiwan, 2006
Photograph by Jozsef Szentpeteri
A male forest chaser dragonfly displays its gossamer wings in Taiwan. Dragonflies look enough like wasps or stinging flies to instill trepidation among humans. They've been dubbed devil's darning needles, horse stingers, and finger cutters. In fact, these aerial acrobats are harmless, neither nuisance nor danger—unless you're a mosquito.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Dragonflies: Strange Love," April 2006, National Geographic magazine)

January 15, 2008

Bike Ride, Napa Valley, California, 2003
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
There are more ways to sample Napa Valley than with a glass in your hand. Here, mountain bikers pedal the Oat Hill Mine Trail through a wildflower-lined field in California's storied wine region.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Other Napa," November/December 2003, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

January 16, 2008

View o***oon, Bora-Bora, French Polynesia, 1996
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
This blue-on-blue scene in a Bora-Bora lagoon is interrupted only by a pair of boats, a lone white seabird, and a line of frothy breakers in the distance. Found in French Polynesia 165 miles (265 kilometers) west of Tahiti, the island of Bora-Bora is what remains of an ancient sunken volcano.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "French Polynesia: Charting a New Course," June 1997, National Geographic magazine)

January 17, 2008

Costumed Celebrants, China, 2002
Photograph by Michael S. Yamashita
Celebrants clad mostly in red, the color of luck and longevity, await transport to a Chinese New Year festival in a Chinese town. The color red is believed to ward off evil spirits, and its use is prevalent throughout Chinese culture.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Chasing the Great Wall," January 2003, National Geographic magazine)

January 18, 2008

Children, Sudan, 2003
Photograph by Randy Olson
Their future marred by conflicts over religion, ethnicity, and resources such as water, land, and oil, these two girls present an island of hope in the desolate landscape of Sudan. Since independence from Britain in 1956, Sudan's northern leaders have fought to extend their power throughout the rebellious south, waging a civil war for all but 11 of the past 48 years.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Shattered Sudan: Drilling for Oil, Hoping for Peace," February 2003, National Geographic magazine)

January 19, 2008

Attwater's Prairie Chick Hatchling, Texas, 2002
Photograph by Joel Sartore
Newly hatched at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, this Attwater's prairie-chicken is part of a captive breeding program aimed at increasing the birds' numbers in the wild. These charismatic birds once numbered about a million along the Texas coastline, but overhunting and habitat loss have cut their wild population to just 50 or so. Captive breeding programs like this one are trying to reverse the trend.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Down to a Handful," March 2002, National Geographic magazine)