A picture taken with a drone shows a huge work of art created with various flowers and flowering plants in Jacobsdorf, Germany, 29 July 2024. Artist Michael Uy has transformed a piece of fallow land into an insect paradise for bees, bumblebees and butterflies. Using plants, the artist has planted and sown oversized images in the shape of a shell and a winding path of life on a large meadow in Jacobsdorf. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/EPA/EFE)

Many people have seen feathers as decorative items before. Today, ostrich, peacock and bird of paradise feathers can be seen in haute couture and in the costumes of indigenous peoples. They can be colorful and spectacular in their own right, but how much more stunning might they be when used as canvases for artists, eager to demonstrate their talent for the unusual? Alaskan-born and -bred artist Julie Thompson is an astounding exponent of this incredible art form.

An adult female Masai giraffe rears on its hind legs as it resists efforts by Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) rangers to guide it into a transportation crate using ropes during an exercise to translocate large herbivores from Kedong Ranch due to land subdivisions and corralling that have disrupted wildlife migratory routes in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on November 16, 2025. Driven by two long ropes held by about twenty rangers, the blindfolded giraffe enters a tall trailer that is to transport it out of its natural habitat in the Rift Valley, which is deteriorating after having been resold. This is the first step in a meticulous relocation operation in the vast Kedong ranch, part of an ancestral corridor between Mount Longonot and Hell's Gate Park, near the iconic Lake Naivasha. (Photo by Tony Karumba/AFP Photo)

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Burma. It is a small pagoda (7.3 metres (24 ft)) built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves pasted on by devotees. According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of the Buddha's hair. The balancing rock seems to defy gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down the hill. The rock and the pagoda are at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. It is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Mahamuni Pagoda. A glimpse of the "gravity defying" Golden Rock is believed to be enough of an inspiration for any person to turn to Buddhism.

Dongchuan is a rural place located in the area of Wumeng Mountains. This place became one of the most favored destination spots for Chinese photographers all because of its red soil. The Wumeng’s scenery was first discovered in mid-90s. The first photographers who came here shot some award-winning photos, which made them keep the location of this place a secret. With time, however, more people found out about this place, making them want to visit these arid mountains. The contrasting red soil, yellow buckwheat, and brilliant blue skies make this place a paradise for photographers.

This Hawaiian cat sanctuary has created an “island paradise” for the state’s stray cats. Although most people would take a trip to one of the Hawaiian Islands’ many heavenly sights, Andrew Marttila, 32, and his partner, Hannah Shaw, 30, wanted to visit something more unusual. They decided to take a trip to the Lanai Cat Sanctuary, which is currently home to more than 500 felines. Here: Kitten Lady, 30, is surrounded by rescued cats at the the Lanai Cat Sanctuary in Hawaii. (Photo by Andrew Marttila/Caters News Agency)

Kanphitcha Sungsuk, 21, (C), lines up with young men to speak to officers during an army draft held at a school in Klong Toey, the dockside slum area in Bangkok, Thailand, April 6, 2017. Thailand is widely seen as a paradise for gay and transgender people, but many complain of being treated as second-class citizens and the obligation to respond to the draft can be a nightmare when they turn 21. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

The Bahamas, the Commonwealth nation of hundreds of islands roughly the size of Connecticut and with population of just a bit over Anaheim, is known for its crystal waters and pristine beaches. This is possibly one of the world’s most beautiful havens of nature, yet people are coming here to see pigs. It is unclear when the pigs first appeared on Exuma Island or where they come from. There’s talk about a daring escape from a shipwreck, or sailors releasing the swine on purpose. In all probability, there were no pigs on this tropical paradise before European settlers came, so their mere presence is the work of human. The intriguing feat of nature, however, is that this population of pigs developed a fine aptitude for swimming. Here: “So you're on a boat in Bahamas and then this pig swims by begging for food”. (Photo and caption by Lisa Larsen/Public Domain)