Valentines Day Feb. 14, 2024

Love is in the air as Valentine"s Day arrives! This holiday is often associated with various romantic symbols, such as Cupid or Romeo and Juliet, the famous star-crossed lovers of William Shakespeare. Symbols of love can also be found in nature, such as red-crowned cranes, seen today in the reed marshes and frozen lakes of Hokkaido Island, Japan. These graceful birds engage in captivating mating dances to strengthen their lifelong bond—and symbolise good fortune, longevity and fidelity in Japanese culture. These gentle creatures even inspired a traditional paper craft, the origami crane; according to legend, folding a thousand cranes can grant wishes.

© Steve Bloom Images/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Love is in the snow
Feb. 14, 2025Happy Valentines Day!
Feb. 14, 2026Happy Valentines Day!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Tomb of the Golden Pharaoh
Sep. 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
May 6, 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
Nov. 21, 2024Aspen trees, British Columbia
A blue-tiful island
Sep. 3, 2025Grizzly bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Jan. 27, 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece
Apr. 5, 2024The Bahamas
Jan. 13, 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, United States
Where fire and water meet
Feb. 11, 2025Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China
Starry, starry night
Teddy bears of the sea
Santa slalom
A very public display of affection
Positively purple peaks
Poetry in suspense
Dec. 31, 2025New Years Eve
Jan. 2, 2026Aerial view of Venice, Italy
Mar. 19, 2025A black heron canopy hunting in Botswana
Amber waves of grain
Jan. 8, 2025The Great Wall of China
Floating mailboxes
Dec. 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Aug. 23, 2025St. Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
A modern recreation
Man-made, meandering Lake Powell
Sep. 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
Huddled and hunting
Oct. 8, 2024World Octopus Day