Country Guide

Natural Phenomena in United States

The natural spectacles worth witnessing across United States, from aurora and blooms to wildlife and rare optics. Each one tracks live conditions so you know the best time to go.

175 phenomena
Airglow (atmospheric chemiluminescence)
Atmospheric

Airglow (atmospheric chemiluminescence)

Alaska Snow Geese Spring Blastoff
Biological

Alaska Snow Geese Spring Blastoff

Alkali (Brine) Fly Shoreline Swarms
Biological

Alkali (Brine) Fly Shoreline Swarms

Alpha Capricornids
Celestial

Alpha Capricornids

Amazon Giant Water Lily Bloom
Botanical

Amazon Giant Water Lily Bloom

Año Nuevo Elephant Seal Pupping
Biological

Año Nuevo Elephant Seal Pupping

Anza-Borrego Desert Superbloom
Botanical

Anza-Borrego Desert Superbloom

Apostle Islands Ice Caves
Geological

Apostle Islands Ice Caves

Appalachian Foxfire (Bioluminescent Fungi)
Botanical

Appalachian Foxfire (Bioluminescent Fungi)

Asperitas Clouds
Meteorological

Asperitas Clouds

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
Celestial

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)

Autumn Foliage Peak - New England
Botanical

Autumn Foliage Peak - New England

Bald Eagle Congregation - Chilkat River
Wildlife

Bald Eagle Congregation - Chilkat River

Bat Emergence - Bracken Cave
Wildlife

Bat Emergence - Bracken Cave

Bat Exodus
Wildlife

Bat Exodus

Belt of Venus and Earth's Shadow
Atmospheric

Belt of Venus and Earth's Shadow

Beta Taurid Daylight Fireballs
Celestial

Beta Taurid Daylight Fireballs

Bison Rut - Yellowstone
Wildlife

Bison Rut - Yellowstone

Blackwater Snow Goose & Tundra Swan Winter Spectacle
Wildlife

Blackwater Snow Goose & Tundra Swan Winter Spectacle

Bonneville Salt Flats mirror effect
Geological

Bonneville Salt Flats mirror effect

Bosque del Apache Sandhill Crane Blast-off
Biological

Bosque del Apache Sandhill Crane Blast-off

Boxley Valley Elk Rut
Wildlife

Boxley Valley Elk Rut

Brown Bear Salmon Feast - Katmai
Wildlife

Brown Bear Salmon Feast - Katmai

Bruneau Dunes Dark-Sky Dune
Astronomical

Bruneau Dunes Dark-Sky Dune

California Dolphin Superpod (Monterey Bay)
Marine

California Dolphin Superpod (Monterey Bay)

California Superbloom
Botanical

California Superbloom

Cape Cod Bay Right Whale Spring Aggregation
Marine

Cape Cod Bay Right Whale Spring Aggregation

Cape Cod Great White Shark Seal Predation
Marine

Cape Cod Great White Shark Seal Predation

Cape May Monarch Butterfly Roosting
Wildlife

Cape May Monarch Butterfly Roosting

Cape May Raptor Fall Migration
Biological

Cape May Raptor Fall Migration

Carlsbad Caverns Bat Flight
Wildlife

Carlsbad Caverns Bat Flight

Carlsbad Ranunculus Flower Fields
Botanical

Carlsbad Ranunculus Flower Fields

Channel Islands blue whale feeding aggregation
Marine

Channel Islands blue whale feeding aggregation

Chincoteague Wild Pony Swim (Pony Penning)
Wildlife

Chincoteague Wild Pony Swim (Pony Penning)

Circumzenithal arc
Atmospheric

Circumzenithal arc

Coastal Bioluminescent Red Tide (San Diego)
Marine

Coastal Bioluminescent Red Tide (San Diego)

Columbia River Eulachon (Candlefish) Run
Biological

Columbia River Eulachon (Candlefish) Run

Comanche Grassland Tarantula Walkabout
Wildlife

Comanche Grassland Tarantula Walkabout

Congaree Synchronous Fireflies
Biological

Congaree Synchronous Fireflies

Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Emergence
Biological

Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Emergence

Crepuscular and Anticrepuscular Rays
Atmospheric

Crepuscular and Anticrepuscular Rays

Crystal River Manatee Gathering
Marine

Crystal River Manatee Gathering

Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup
Wildlife

Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup

Dauphin Island Spring Migratory Bird Fallout
Wildlife

Dauphin Island Spring Migratory Bird Fallout

Delaware Bay Red Knot and Horseshoe Crab Spawn
Biological

Delaware Bay Red Knot and Horseshoe Crab Spawn

Dismalites (Orfelia fultoni) bioluminescence
Wildlife

Dismalites (Orfelia fultoni) bioluminescence

Draconid Meteor Shower
Celestial

Draconid Meteor Shower

Elk Rut - Rocky Mountains
Wildlife

Elk Rut - Rocky Mountains

Ephemeral Pool Resurrection Life
Wildlife

Ephemeral Pool Resurrection Life

Everglades alligator courtship bellowing
Wildlife

Everglades alligator courtship bellowing

Farallon Islands Great White Shark Aggregation
Marine

Farallon Islands Great White Shark Aggregation

Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie Burn Season
Geological

Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie Burn Season

Florida Keys coral mass spawning
Marine

Florida Keys coral mass spawning

Flower Garden Banks Coral Mass Spawning
Marine

Flower Garden Banks Coral Mass Spawning

Fly Geyser
Geological

Fly Geyser

Fogbow (White Rainbow)
Atmospheric

Fogbow (White Rainbow)

Frederick Sound Humpback Bubble-Net Feeding
Marine

Frederick Sound Humpback Bubble-Net Feeding

Freezout Lake Snow Goose Migration (Blastoff)
Wildlife

Freezout Lake Snow Goose Migration (Blastoff)

Frost quake (cryoseism)
Geological

Frost quake (cryoseism)

Ghost Orchid Bloom
Botanical

Ghost Orchid Bloom

Glass Eel (Elver) Spring Run — Maine, USA
Marine

Glass Eel (Elver) Spring Run — Maine, USA

Goliath Grouper Spawning Aggregations (Jupiter, Florida)
Marine

Goliath Grouper Spawning Aggregations (Jupiter, Florida)

Grand Canyon Total Cloud Inversion
Atmospheric

Grand Canyon Total Cloud Inversion

Grand Isle Spring Migratory Bird Fallout
Wildlife

Grand Isle Spring Migratory Bird Fallout

Grand Prismatic Spring (Midway Geyser Basin)
Geological

Grand Prismatic Spring (Midway Geyser Basin)

Grandfather Mountain Blue Ghost & Synchronous Fireflies
Wildlife

Grandfather Mountain Blue Ghost & Synchronous Fireflies

Gray Whale Migration
Marine

Gray Whale Migration

Great Lakes Ice Volcanoes
Geological

Great Lakes Ice Volcanoes

Great Salt Lake Phalarope Staging
Wildlife

Great Salt Lake Phalarope Staging

Great Salt Lake Pink Algae Bloom
Botanical

Great Salt Lake Pink Algae Bloom

Greater Prairie-Chicken Booming Grounds (Kansas)
Wildlife

Greater Prairie-Chicken Booming Grounds (Kansas)

Green Sand Beaches
Geological

Green Sand Beaches

Grunion Runs
Marine

Grunion Runs

Hawaiian spinner dolphin dawn congregation
Marine

Hawaiian spinner dolphin dawn congregation

Hawk Mountain Autumn Raptor Migration
Wildlife

Hawk Mountain Autumn Raptor Migration

Horseshoe Crab Spawning
Marine

Horseshoe Crab Spawning

Horsetail Fall Firefall (Yosemite)
Atmospheric

Horsetail Fall Firefall (Yosemite)

Horsetail Firefall
Geological

Horsetail Firefall

Humpback Whale Breach - Pacific
Wildlife

Humpback Whale Breach - Pacific

Ice shove (ice surge / ice tsunami)
Geological

Ice shove (ice surge / ice tsunami)

Indian River Lagoon Bioluminescence
Marine

Indian River Lagoon Bioluminescence

Jasper-Pulaski Sandhill Crane Staging
Wildlife

Jasper-Pulaski Sandhill Crane Staging

Kelso Dunes Booming Sand
Geological

Kelso Dunes Booming Sand

Kelvin-Helmholtz wave clouds
Atmospheric

Kelvin-Helmholtz wave clouds

Kīlauea Episodic Lava Fountaining
Volcanic

Kīlauea Episodic Lava Fountaining

Kilauea Lava Flows
Geological

Kilauea Lava Flows

Kona Manta Ray Night Dive
Marine

Kona Manta Ray Night Dive

Lake Erie Mayfly Hatch
Wildlife

Lake Erie Mayfly Hatch

Lake Mattamuskeet Tundra Swan & Snow Goose Winter Congregation
Wildlife

Lake Mattamuskeet Tundra Swan & Snow Goose Winter Congregation

Lake Murray Purple Martin Mega-Roost
Biological

Lake Murray Purple Martin Mega-Roost

Lake Winnebago Lake Fly Hatch
Biological

Lake Winnebago Lake Fly Hatch

Laysan Albatross Courtship Dance (Midway Atoll)
Biological

Laysan Albatross Courtship Dance (Midway Atoll)

Loess Bluffs Snow Goose Migration
Wildlife

Loess Bluffs Snow Goose Migration

Lyrid Meteor Shower
Celestial

Lyrid Meteor Shower

Mammatus clouds (post-severe-storm mamma)
Atmospheric

Mammatus clouds (post-severe-storm mamma)

Mammoth Cave Bat Emergence
Wildlife

Mammoth Cave Bat Emergence

Manatee Aggregation - Florida Springs
Wildlife

Manatee Aggregation - Florida Springs

Manhattanhenge (sunset street alignment)
Celestial

Manhattanhenge (sunset street alignment)

Manta Ray Feeding Frenzy
Biological

Manta Ray Feeding Frenzy

Marfa Mystery Lights
Atmospheric

Marfa Mystery Lights

Matanuska Glacier blue ice caves
Geological

Matanuska Glacier blue ice caves

Maui Humpback Whale Competitive Pods
Marine

Maui Humpback Whale Competitive Pods

Mayfly Emergence
Biological

Mayfly Emergence

McNeil River Brown Bear Falls Concentration
Biological

McNeil River Brown Bear Falls Concentration

Medano Creek Surge
Geological

Medano Creek Surge

Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves
Geological

Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves

Mississippi Sandhill Crane
Wildlife

Mississippi Sandhill Crane

Mono Lake Tufa Towers
Geological

Mono Lake Tufa Towers

Monterey Bay Market Squid Spawn and Egg Beds
Marine

Monterey Bay Market Squid Spawn and Egg Beds

Monterey Bay Sea Sparkle Bioluminescence
Marine

Monterey Bay Sea Sparkle Bioluminescence

Moonbow at Cumberland Falls
Atmospheric

Moonbow at Cumberland Falls

Mormon Cricket Migrations
Biological

Mormon Cricket Migrations

Mount Rainier Subalpine Wildflower Meadows
Botanical

Mount Rainier Subalpine Wildflower Meadows

Mount Shasta lenticular cloud stacks
Atmospheric

Mount Shasta lenticular cloud stacks

Nacreous Clouds (Polar Stratospheric)
Atmospheric

Nacreous Clouds (Polar Stratospheric)

Niagara Falls Moonbow
Atmospheric

Niagara Falls Moonbow

North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Ground
Marine

North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Ground

Northern Taurids Fireball Season
Celestial

Northern Taurids Fireball Season

Old Sow Whirlpool
Marine

Old Sow Whirlpool

Painted Hills wildflower bloom
Botanical

Painted Hills wildflower bloom

Painted Lady Butterfly Migration
Biological

Painted Lady Butterfly Migration

Periodical Cicada Brood II Emergence
Wildlife

Periodical Cicada Brood II Emergence

Periodical Cicada Brood V Mass Emergence
Biological

Periodical Cicada Brood V Mass Emergence

Periodical Cicada Brood XIV Mass Emergence
Biological

Periodical Cicada Brood XIV Mass Emergence

Periodical Cicada Brood XIX Emergence (Tennessee)
Wildlife

Periodical Cicada Brood XIX Emergence (Tennessee)

Periodical Cicada, Brood XIII (Illinois emergence)
Biological

Periodical Cicada, Brood XIII (Illinois emergence)

Perseid Meteor Shower
Celestial

Perseid Meteor Shower

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Molt
Marine

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Molt

Pinnacles California Condor Fledging Window
Biological

Pinnacles California Condor Fledging Window

Pismo Beach Monarch Overwintering Groves
Biological

Pismo Beach Monarch Overwintering Groves

Plant Frost-Ribbons (Crystallofolia)
Meteorological

Plant Frost-Ribbons (Crystallofolia)

Point Reyes Ladybug Winter Aggregations
Wildlife

Point Reyes Ladybug Winter Aggregations

Porcupine Caribou Herd Spring Migration and Calving
Biological

Porcupine Caribou Herd Spring Migration and Calving

Presumpscot River Rotating Ice Disk
Geological

Presumpscot River Rotating Ice Disk

Rainbow Eucalyptus Bark Peeling
Botanical

Rainbow Eucalyptus Bark Peeling

Red Sprites (Upper-Atmosphere Lightning)
Atmospheric

Red Sprites (Upper-Atmosphere Lightning)

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Rut (Colorado)
Wildlife

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Rut (Colorado)

Rocky Shoals Spider Lily Bloom
Botanical

Rocky Shoals Spider Lily Bloom

Roosevelt elk rut - Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park
Wildlife

Roosevelt elk rut - Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park

Sage Grouse Lekking
Biological

Sage Grouse Lekking

Saguaro Cactus Mass Bloom
Botanical

Saguaro Cactus Mass Bloom

Sailing Stones (Racetrack Playa)
Geological

Sailing Stones (Racetrack Playa)

Salmon Run - Bristol Bay
Biological

Salmon Run - Bristol Bay

Salmonfly Hatch (Madison River)
Wildlife

Salmonfly Hatch (Madison River)

San Juan Capistrano Swallows Return
Biological

San Juan Capistrano Swallows Return

Sandhill Crane Migration - Platte River
Biological

Sandhill Crane Migration - Platte River

Santa Cruz Bioluminescent Red Tide Waves
Marine

Santa Cruz Bioluminescent Red Tide Waves

Sea Turtle Nesting - Florida
Biological

Sea Turtle Nesting - Florida

Shelf Cloud (Arcus)
Meteorological

Shelf Cloud (Arcus)

Sitka Sound Herring Spawn
Marine

Sitka Sound Herring Spawn

Skagit River Bald Eagle Concentration
Biological

Skagit River Bald Eagle Concentration

Skagit Valley Snow Goose Blastoff
Wildlife

Skagit Valley Snow Goose Blastoff

Snow Goose Migration - Bosque del Apache
Biological

Snow Goose Migration - Bosque del Apache

Sonoran Haboob Dust Storms
Atmospheric

Sonoran Haboob Dust Storms

Southern Taurids Fireball Season
Celestial

Southern Taurids Fireball Season

Supercell Thunderstorm Structure (Mesocyclone)
Meteorological

Supercell Thunderstorm Structure (Mesocyclone)

Synchronous Fireflies (Great Smoky Mountains)
Wildlife

Synchronous Fireflies (Great Smoky Mountains)

Tarantula Migration
Biological

Tarantula Migration

Texas bluebonnet superbloom
Botanical

Texas bluebonnet superbloom

Thor's Well: King Tide Eruptions
Geological

Thor's Well: King Tide Eruptions

Tohono Chul Night-Blooming Cereus Mass Bloom
Botanical

Tohono Chul Night-Blooming Cereus Mass Bloom

Total Solar Eclipse 2033 (Alaska)
Celestial

Total Solar Eclipse 2033 (Alaska)

Transient Cloudburst Waterfalls
Geological

Transient Cloudburst Waterfalls

Tule Elk Rut at Point Reyes
Wildlife

Tule Elk Rut at Point Reyes

Turnagain Arm Bore Tide
Marine

Turnagain Arm Bore Tide

Upper Antelope Canyon Sunbeam Season
Geological

Upper Antelope Canyon Sunbeam Season

Ursid Meteor Shower
Celestial

Ursid Meteor Shower

Vermont Spotted Salamander Big Night
Biological

Vermont Spotted Salamander Big Night

Walrus Haul-out
Biological

Walrus Haul-out

Watermelon Snow (algal bloom)
Botanical

Watermelon Snow (algal bloom)

Waterspouts
Meteorological

Waterspouts

Watoga State Park Synchronous Fireflies
Wildlife

Watoga State Park Synchronous Fireflies

Wichita Mountains Bison Calving Season
Wildlife

Wichita Mountains Bison Calving Season

Yellowstone winter wolf-bison predation (Lamar Valley)
Wildlife

Yellowstone winter wolf-bison predation (Lamar Valley)

Yosemite Spring Moonbow
Atmospheric

Yosemite Spring Moonbow