Wikipedia:Picture of the day/August 2010

The Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) is a wader native to Australia, where they can be found on sandy coastlines feeding on various bivalve molluscs, but not actually oysters, which are found mostly on rocky shorelines. This oystercatcher species is easily recognized by the characteristic 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long orange-red beak, slender pink legs and black and white plumage.

Photo: Fir0002

A view of the interior of the water lily greenhouse at the Royal Botanic Gardens, located between Richmond and Kew, in southwest London, England. Covering an area of 121 hectares (300 acres), the gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contain four Grade I and 36 Grade II listed buildings.

Photo: David Iliff

A photograph of a Mercedes-Benz C-Class driven by Paul di Resta during a 2009 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters race, demonstrating the technique called panning, in which a camera is horizontally moved in order to keep a moving subject in the same portion of the frame. In still photography, panning is used to suggest fast motion, and to bring out foreground from background.

Photo: AngMoKio

Landscape Arch is the longest of the many natural rock arches located in the Arches National Park in the U.S. state of Utah. The arch is among many in the area known as Devil's Garden in the north area of the park. It was named by Frank Beckwith, leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–34.

Photo: Cacophony

Immature (left) and mature (right) flowers of the Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata), a species of tree or woody shrub native to southeastern Australia. It reaches up to 8 m (26 ft) tall and its inflorescences are a palish yellow, cylindrical up to about 10 cm (3.9 in) tall. Flowering occurs from February to June.

Photo: Noodle snacks

A panoramic view of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the site of the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare on August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II. Over 70,000 people were killed immediately, and another 70,000 suffered fatal injuries from the radiation, after the U.S. Army Air Force bomber Enola Gay dropped the bomb, codenamed "Little Boy". The Genbaku ("A-bomb") Dome (center) was directly beneath the blast, but managed to survive mostly intact.

Photo credit: Dean S. Pemberton

A c. 1884 poster for an American production of William Shakespeare's Richard III, a history play depicting the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. It is the second-longest of Shakespeare's plays (after Hamlet) and is rarely performed unabridged. It is believed to have been written c. 1591, making it one of his earliest plays, and concludes his first tetralogy (also containing Henry VI parts 1–3). It is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, and contains the famous line, "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!"

Lithography: W.J. Morgan & Co.; Restoration: Adam Cuerden

Malacosoma californicum is a species of tent caterpillar, so named because they build conspicuous silk tents in the branches of host trees. They are often considered as pests due to their habit of defoliating trees. They are among the most social of all caterpillars, and the tents facilitate aggregation and serve as focal sites of thermal regulatory behavior.

Photo: Mila Zinkova

The Seven Sisters, a series of chalk cliffs in East Sussex, by the English Channel, looking towards the River Cuckmere and Seaford Head in the background. Located between the towns of Seaford and Eastbourne, they form part of the South Downs. They are the remnants of dry valleys, which are gradually being eroded by the sea.

Photo: David Iliff

The Battle of Scheveningen was the final naval battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. In June 1653, the English fleet had begun a blockade of the Dutch coast. On August 10, English and Dutch ships engaged, resulting in heavy damage to both sides. The blockade was lifted, but Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp's death was a severe blow, leading eventually to Dutch concessions in the Treaty of Westminster.

Artist: Willem van de Velde the Elder

The Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides), native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, is one of the smallest species of falcon (about 31 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in) in length). Unlike other raptors, it does not rely on speed to catch its prey. Instead, it simply perches in an exposed position, but it also has a distinctive technique of hovering over crop and grasslands.

Photo: Fir0002

Rhodotus palmatus is an uncommon fungus species found throughout the Circumboreal Region. A detritivore, it is typically found growing on the stumps and logs of rotting hardwoods. Mature specimens may usually be identified by the pinkish color and the distinctive ridged and veined surface of their rubbery caps.

Photo: Dan Molter

A panoramic view of Moshi, the capital of the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania situated on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa (seen in background). Moshi is home to the Chaga and Maasai tribes and lies on the road connecting Arusha and Mombasa, Kenya.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Mignon Nevada (1886–1971), an English operatic soprano, as Ophelia in French composer Ambroise Thomas's opera, Hamlet, c. 1910. Nevada was the daughter of American soprano Emma Nevada, as well as Thomas's goddaughter, who had also written the opera Mignon in 1866, after which she was named. She made her debut in 1908 as Rosina in The Barber of Seville and performed at opera houses across Europe for her entire career.

Photo: Bain News Service; Restoration: Lise Broer

"Le Noir Faineant in the Hermit's Cell", an illustration from an 1886 edition of Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe. Here, we see Le Noir Faineant, or the Black Knight (Richard the Lionheart in disguise) with Friar Tuck. Scott was an early pioneer in the development of the modern novel, and largely created the genre of historical fiction by weaving together legends and characters into his own creations. Ivanhoe, the story of one of the remaining Saxon noble families at a time when the English nobility was overwhelmingly Norman, was greatly influential on the modern view of the English folk hero Robin Hood, and has inspired many adaptations around the world in theatre, opera, film, and television.

Engraver: J. Cooper; Restoration: Adam Cuerden

The flower and fruit of a Pink Tea Tree (Leptospermum squarrosum) plant, a dense and erect shrub native to New South Wales, Australia. Growing to 2.5 to 3 m (8.2 to 9.8 ft) tall, the flowers are approximately 16 mm (0.63 in) in diameter have five pink petals. Flowering occurs from autumn to late winter.

Photo: Noodle snacks

The blue bottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria) is a common blow-fly found in most areas of the world. It is 10–14 millimetres (0.4–0.6 in) long, slightly larger than a housefly, with a bright metallic blue abdomen.

Photo: Noodle snacks/Papa Lima Whiskey

A whole mango (Mangifera indica) fruit and the cross-section of a second. Mango trees have been cultivated on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, and many cultivars are now grown throughout the world in tropical and subtropical climates. The fruit may be eaten raw or cooked and may be ritually used, along with the leaves, as floral decorations at weddings, public celebrations and religious ceremonies.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Vice Admiral John Duncan Bulkeley (1911–1996) was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor for his leadership of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He also piloted the boat that evacuated Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines during the Battle of Corregidor, and he fought in the invasion of Normandy as well. Bulkeley retired from the Navy in 1988, after 55 years of service.

Photo credit: Robert Lucier, USN

The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus, male shown here) is the most widely distributed wild bird. It originated in the Middle East and has spread throughout much of the world, mostly due to deliberate introductions but also through natural dispersal and shipborne travel. It is quite successful, due to its adaptability and ability to easily co-exist with humans.

Photo: Fir0002

A panoramic view of Hobart, the largest city and capital of the Australian island state of Tasmania. It is Australia's second oldest state capital, after Sydney. Founded as a penal colony in 1803 on the eastern side of the River Derwent, it was moved in 1804 to its present location at Sullivans Cove. Hobart incorporated on 21 August 1842.

Photo: Flying Freddy

A view of sand dunes in Rub' al Khali, a vast desert encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard NASA's Terra satellite, shows dunes as brown with gray regions being the underlying gravel plains. The distance between parallel dunes, which can reach 330 metres (1,080 ft) tall, is roughly 1.5 to 2.5 km (0.9 to 1.6 mi). The area is neither inhabited nor traversed by humans, although plants, arachnids, and rodents call the region home.

Photo: NASA

A proclamation board labelled "Governor Davey's Proclamation" painted in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) about 1830 in the time of Governor Arthur. This was designed to show former Governor Thomas Davey's desire that colonists and aboriginals be seen as equal before the law. Davey's greatest accomplishment was the establishing of Hobart as a free port, but he also attempted to curtail bushranging and encouraged the proper treatment of aborigines. However, the proclamation board, which was distributed through the country during the height of the Black War by being nailed on trees, incorrectly depicted a policy of friendship and equal justice which simply did not exist at the time.

Image: Government of Van Diemen's Land from a concept by Surveyor General George Frankland

In the evening hours of August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces attacked Washington, D.C., setting fire to the White House and the unfinished Capitol Building (damage to latter shown here), among other buildings. This was the second and last time in United States history that a foreign power has captured and occupied the United States capital.

Artist: George Munger; Restoration: Lise Broer

A Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) carries pollen back to its hive in the pollen basket (the yellow area on its leg). A honey bee moistens the forelegs with a protruding tongue and brushes the pollen that has collected on head, body and forward appendages to the hind legs. In the hive, pollen is used as a protein source necessary during brood-rearing.

Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

The Punishment of Loki by Louis Huard illustrates an event in the Elder Edda. The Norse god Loki, as a typical trickster god, works both with and against the other gods. However, when he engineers the death of the god Baldr, the gods finally decide he has gone too far, and bind him to a rock with a serpent dripping venom above him. His wife Sigyn stayed with him and tried to catch the venom in a bowl, but when she left to empty it, as here, his writhing from the pain of the venom created earthquakes.

Restoration: Adam Cuerden

A 360° view from the middle of Striding Edge near the summit of Helvellyn, the third-highest peak in England, located in the Lake District. Helvellyn is the tallest summit just to the right of centre. Red Tarn is the small lake on the right, Catstye Cam is the fell directly behind Red Tarn, and Ullswater and the village of Glenridding are visible on the horizon along the far left corner.

Photo: David Iliff

A specimen of cinnabar, the common ore of mercury, atop a larger sample of dolomite. Cinnabar is generally found in a massive, granular or earthy form and is bright scarlet to brick-red in color. It generally occurs as a vein-filling mineral associated with recent volcanic activity and alkaline hot springs.

Photo: Noodle snacks

Donbass Arena, a stadium that hosts FC Shakhtar Donetsk matches, under construction. The stadium, located in the center of Donetsk, Ukraine, opened on 29 August 2009. The date was chosen as symbolic because it is Miner's Day, a national holiday, and the club's name translates as "Donetsk Coal Miners".

Photo: Piotr Zarobkiewicz

The rounded earthstar (Geastrum saccatum) is a common detrivorous mushroom found throughout the world. The outer layer fruiting body (shown here), like other earthstars, opens up in a characteristic star shape as it matures.

Photo: Noodle snacks

Cirrus clouds are characterized by thin, wisplike strands, often accompanied by tufts. They are formed when water vapor freezes into ice crystals at altitudes above 8,000 metres (26,247 ft). Due to the sparse moisture at a high altitude, they tend to be very thin. Cirrus clouds cover up to 30% of the Earth and have a net heating effect. They efficiently absorb outgoing infrared radiation (heat) beneath them (greenhouse effect), while only marginally reflecting incoming sunlight (albedo).

Photo: Fir0002