In praise of the old…the very old Oct 14, 2020

In praise of the old…the very old

What better way to honor National Fossil Day than with this amazing dragonfly! It"s rare to find one in such exquisite condition, but this one was discovered in Solnhofen, Germany, where limestone deposits preserved some of the most detailed fossils ever found—including the birdlike dinosaur called Archaeopteryx. This dragonfly was preserved in the Solnhofen limestone about 150 million years ago in the Jurassic Period. It measures about 5.5 inches across.

© Ingo Arndt/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Oct 14, 2018Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
Oct 14, 2019Canadian Thanksgiving
Oct 14, 2021Happy birthday, Saguaro National Park
Oct 14, 2022Río Arazas in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain
Oct 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
Oct 14, 2024Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
Oct 14, 2025Village of Oia in Santorini, Greece

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 27, 2024Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Aug 19, 2021Happy World Photography Day!
Feb 21, 2021Overlooking the Douro
Oct 31, 2018Shhh, the movie is about to start
Sep 12, 2021A grand event
Jan 28, 2023The Bahamas as seen from the ISS
Dec 8, 2022The Cathedral of Florence, Italy
Jul 1, 2025Happy Canada Day!
Jun 19, 2024Juneteenth
Jun 7, 2018Humpbacks return to the Inside Passage
Feb 7, 2026Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia
Nov 2, 2019A national icon
Jul 24, 2019Can you see the family resemblance?
Sep 5, 2025Pacific Park, Santa Monica State Beach, California
Jan 31, 2020Dance of the egret
Oct 21, 2024Cypress trees in George L. Smith State Park, Georgia
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
Nov 29, 2021Rainbow Mountain
Jun 11, 2021An island in the Highlands
Feb 25, 2021Trevi in bloom
Sep 21, 2025Sea Otter Awareness Week
Jul 23, 2018Tokyo welcomes a futuristic new art museum
Jun 3, 2023National Trails Day
Jan 11, 2020Who s wearing such cute hats?
Nov 6, 2022New York City Marathon
Jun 23, 2023Pollinator Week
Aug 19, 2019On the wings of the Wright brothers
Nov 18, 2022Keyholes to the kingdom
Dec 7, 2018Honoring our fallen heroes
Nov 6, 2025Celebrating Yi Peng