Bing daily wallpapers

Today, August 23rd, is one of the twenty-four solar terms, 'End of Heat.' It also refers to the period leading up to the next 24 solar terms, 'Hakutsuyu,' when the harsh summer heat crosses the mountain passes and the signs of autumn gradually begin to appear. Today's image shows the river scenery flowing through Shizuoka Prefecture. The nature-rich riverside offers coolness even in midsummer, making it an ideal place to enjoy camping or strolling at the end of summer.

That quick glimpse of blue fluttering through a field has a story that begins much earlier, with a tiny caterpillar and a surprising survival trick. The common blue is found across Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia, feeding on flower nectar as an adult. It starts life as a small egg, often placed by a female on a host plant such as bird's-foot trefoil. The real surprise comes during its caterpillar stage, when ants play an unexpected role in its survival. After hatching, the caterpillar feeds on leaves before entering the next stage of its transformation. Along the way, it produces a sugary substance called honeydew that ants feed on. As a way of saying thanks, the ants may protect the caterpillar from predators.

When the adult butterfly emerges, males reveal the blue wings that gave the species its name. Microscopic wing structures create the colour by reflecting light. Females usually have brown wings with orange spots along their edges. The common blue butterfly's journey shows that nature's smallest creatures have surprisingly complex lives.

Some stories live on paper. Folklore Day celebrates those that pass through generations, sung, danced, embroidered, and reinvented. The word 'folklore' was born in England in 1846 to define the knowledge of a people, but in Brazil, it gained rhythms, colors, and voices shaped by centuries of encounters between Indigenous, African, and European peoples. Around here, Saci causes mischief, Iara enchants rivers, the Boto changes shape, and Curupira insists on misleading anyone who enters the forest. Bumba Meu Boi, frevo, maracatu, carimbó, fandango, cordel, capoeira, impromptu verses, songs, and recipes keep circulating from voice to voice, from hand to hand, and from celebration to celebration.

Carnival is one of the biggest stages for Brazilian folklore. In the picture, the samba school Acadêmicos do Salgueiro parades along the Marquês de Sapucaí in Rio de Janeiro, turning legends, popular characters, and regional traditions into monumental floats in front of millions of people. Our folklore doesn’t survive because it resists time. It survives because it dances with it.

In the picture, we see the peloton of the Vuelta a España climbing the Navacerrada Pass, one of the race's most legendary spots since 1941, with its slopes of up to 13% right in the middle of the Sierra de Guadarrama.

Today marks the start of the 81st edition from Monaco, and it comes with a historic first: for the first time, Granada will host the final finish on September 13, with the Alhambra as a backdrop. The Vuelta, which began in 1935 and is one of cycling's three Grand Tours alongside the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, will cover 3,275 kilometers in 21 stages skirting the Mediterranean all the way to Andalusia. The red leader’s jersey has been worn by legends like Bahamontes, Induráin, and Contador. A race that not only crosses Spain but also writes its history kilometer by kilometer.

The turquoise waters of Torre Sant'Andrea in the Puglian Salento, with their white rock stacks smoothed by the sea, are among Italy's most spectacular coasts. And it is right here, in this corner of Puglia, that tonight the 29th edition of La Notte della Taranta, the largest folk music festival in Europe, kicks off: born in Melpignano in 1998, every year it travels through twenty villages in Salento before the big final concert.

At the heart of the festival is the pizzica, a hypnotic dance born from the rituals of tarantism: an ancient choral and musical practice used to exorcise pain and trauma. Today pizzica meets the sounds of the whole world, blending tradition and influence under the Salento stars. The 29th edition features Ermal Meta as the concertmaster, who will lead the Folk Orchestra in a night full of dancing and memories. Salento is calling: the rhythm answers.

Some mountain roads become destinations in their own right, and Julier Pass is one of them. This Swiss mountain pass rises to 2,284 metres and has linked Alpine valleys along a route used for nearly 2,000 years. Its story began long before modern traffic. No guardrails, no pavement—just a route used by Roman travellers, merchants and messengers. Archaeological finds near the summit, including countless coins and two Roman soapstone columns, suggest there was once a sanctuary or stopping place for those tackling the climb.

The road seen in today's image was built between 1820 and 1828. From 1935 to 1940, the pass became the first Swiss alpine road to be paved with asphalt. Today, roughly 3,000 vehicles cross Julier Pass every day. In winter, drivers may need snow chains when conditions are severe. Every switchback comes with another spectacular view, making the drive as memorable as the destination. If you had the keys, would you take the scenic route?