Natural History Photo of the Day

January 5, 2026
Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.

Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Created: 2017-07-29
Image ID: 33433

Previous 4 Natural History Photo of the Day entries

January 4, 2026: California poppies cover the hillsides in bright orange
January 3, 2026: Cardinalfish, Fiji
January 2, 2026: Two Rushing Western Grebes Walk on Water. Grebe rushing, a courtship behavior, happens when the birds slap the lake surface up to 20 times per second, literally running across the water.
January 1, 2026: Red Irish Lord sculpinfish, Browning Pass, British Columbia