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Nature is uncontrollable. Seasons change, birds migrate and rains come and go. These photographs from National Geographic's series entitled "Explore Our Changing World" capture nature's extreme, yet stunning essence. |
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| In Madagascar every year, the farmer must battle the yearly migration of the locusts for his land. This year alone, Madagascar experienced a record-breaking locust infestation that at some poiuts covered nearly 50 percent of the country. In this picture, the farmer carries a huge sack of locusts on his back. By: Michelle Martinelli/ NG |
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| The Mentawai people are natives of the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. They lead semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles in their rain forest and coastal homeland, the men hunting wild pigs, deer and primates for food and the women gathering wild food. This picture of two Mentawai hunters epitomizes the seasonal nature of their living styles, based entirely on what nature has to offer at that moment. By: Mohd Ismail/ NG |
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| The Eastern Screech Owl is common to North America and Canada that is known for its stocky body, yet colorful plumage. The owl pictured is a gray morph of the Eastern Screech Owl, reknowned for its camouflaging abilities. By: Grahman McGeorge/ NG |
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| The Hmong Rice Terraces of Northern Vietnam are harvested every fall by the Hmong ethnic minority. The Hmong people originally hail from China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, and are known for their independence and their rich culture, art and religion. By: Hoang Giang Hai/ NG |
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| A home swallowed by sand in Cape Town, South Africa. By: Lauren Pretorius/ NG |
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| At the foot of Mount Carrier lie the Plains of Castellucio on the border between Italy and Slovenia. This beautiful misty plateau was once the bottom of the anicent Apennine lake and is known for its karst, or limestone, laden landscape. By: Mauro Maione/ NG |
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| Indonesia is a country laden with volcanoes, and here Mount Semeru in East Java is on display. Mt Semeru was named after the 'world-moutain' famous in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology and since 1818 has experienced at least 55 recorded eruptions. The photographer caught the volcano just as it was erupting ash to the rising sun. By: Dennis Walton/ NG |
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| As kids play on the Ganges in Varanasi, India, the powerful river current pushes by below. The Ganges is recognized as the second largest river in the world, but it is also the most polluted and over populated river basin. By: Joy Archary/ NG |
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| A self-portrait of the photographer under a melting glacier in Alaska. Since the end of the Little Ice Age in 1850, global warming as a result of greenhouse gas emission has slowly started to melt off the world's glaciers, with the greatest losses in the Himalayas, Alps, Rockies, as well as a number of other major mountain ranges. By: Jonathan Tucker/ NG |
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| As monsoon seasons rages in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, the photographer captures a stunning moment of nature's indelible grace. As the sun peaks out the clouds, rain begins to pour down on the canyons as a powerful bolt of lightening emerges from the dark grey sky. By: Klaus Priebe/ NG |
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