Random old Bing wallpapers

Curving through this rugged Highlands landscape and across the deep sea inlet of Caolas Cumhann is the Drochaid a' Chaolais Chumhaing/Kylesku Bridge, opened by the Queen in 1984. Striking in appearance, this concrete box girder bridge in north-west Scotland also serves a practical purpose - saving drivers a 110-mile detour around inland roads. It replaced a ferry service which had operated in one form or another since the early 19th century, but could be unreliable in rough weather. In the 1970s, plans for a new bridge here became key to encouraging tourism in some of the more remote areas of the Highlands.

If you’re wondering about that lengthy name, Kylesku Bridge became officially known by its Gaelic name Drochaid a' Chaolais Chumhaing in 2019, when Historic Environment Scotland classified it as a Category A listed structure. It’s 902ft (275m) long and its bridge deck sits 79ft (24m) above high water, to allow ships to pass through. Designed to complement the landscape, it can also withstand winds of more than 100mph and forms part of the popular North Coast 500, a 516-mile scenic route along Scotland’s north coast. If you’re in the area, you might want to check out Britain’s tallest waterfall, Eas a’Chual Aluinn, which is close to Kylesku village.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is always a highlight of spring in our nation's capital. It's timed for the peak bloom date (usually the last week in March or first week of April) when most of the blossoms are open on the cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin. The trees were originally a gift from Japan, planted in Washington in 1912. While some Cherry Blossom Festival events are virtual this year, the trees will decorate the city as usual—just as they do in this photo framing the Jefferson Memorial. This year's festival began on March 20 and runs until April 11. It includes in-person tours and activities visitors can do on their own, as well as virtual viewings and an online Celebration Show that debuts on April 9.

You may be surprised to learn that this elegant plant dappled with water droplets is a variety of moss: Tortula muralis, better known as wall-screw moss. It's found all over the world, even in urban areas where more sensitive mosses have a hard time thriving because of dry soil and air pollution. Mosses in general are accurate monitors of air pollution—they absorb air and water, so contaminants can also be measured in their cells.

Wall-screw moss is just one of 15,000 to 25,000 species of moss, ancient plants that date back 450 million years. The hardy bunch have weathered climate swings for eons, capable of surviving in icy tundra or scorching desert plains. They don't have roots—instead, they absorb moisture through hairlike rhizoids (which also act as anchors) on their surface. This ability to suck in water so efficiently makes mosses among the first plants to recover from forest fires or extreme heat, spreading out to stabilize the soil and keep it hydrated for other plants.

How appropriate, then, that our photograph captured raindrops on the moss. This is a perfect example of what's known as macro photography, when the image is many times larger than life-size. All the better to enjoy the delicate beauty of nature.