Ernie Back

I am a refugee from Wall Street who has morphed into a stone balancing nature photographer…😼 I curate what I’ve come across that brings a smile to my face.

[Nature Girl @Natureegir1]

"The Death's-head moth... a mysterious mask and wings that tell the colors of sunset."

[Earth @earthcurated]

🇮🇸 Iceland has more than 10,000 waterfalls, thanks to its glaciers, volcanic landscape, and abundant rivers.

[Wolf of X @WolfofX]

On the evening of January 31, 2025, 10 year old Trey Howard was riding through Northeast Philadelphia with his father, younger brother and 4 year old sister after stopping for donuts. Moments later, a medical transport jet crashed nearby, sending burning debris across the street.

As pieces of metal flew toward their vehicle, Trey didn't think about himself. He shouted for his little sister to get down, pulled her beneath him, and covered her with his own body. A piece of debris struck Trey in the head, leaving a large metal fragment lodged in his skull.

His father, Andre Howard Jr., tried to stop the bleeding with socks before police rushed Trey to the hospital. Surgeons performed emergency brain surgery, and the family was warned that the odds were against him.

When Trey finally opened his eyes, he didn't ask how badly he was hurt. He didn't ask if he was going to be okay.

His first question was, "Daddy, did I save my sister?"

His father looked at him and answered, "Yes."

Trey had.

Doctors were amazed by his recovery, the Philadelphia community raised more than 100,000 USD to help his family, and people across the country came to know the quiet courage of a 10 year old boy who instinctively chose to protect someone else before himself.

That night, Trey Howard became his little sister's shield, and a hero she will remember for the rest of her life.

[Beauty of music and nature 🌺🌺 @Axaxia88]

The wild mother bear returned, this time with her tiny cubs by her side. She quietly led them to the man who had once helped her through a difficult time, as though she wanted to share the happiness of her little family with him. 🐻😭

This simple yet heartwarming moment reminded many people of the quiet bond and mutual respect that can exist between humans and the natural world. 💖

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

On September 12, 2001, the day after the towers fell, a man in worn firefighter gear shows up at Ground Zero and starts walking.

Smoke still filled the air. Dust covered everything.

He walked through the ruins for hours, passing exhausted rescue crews, searching for one place.

His old firehouse.

The man was Steve Buscemi.

Most people knew him as the unforgettable character actor who played crooks, gangsters, and unsettling outsiders.

Long before Hollywood, he wore a different uniform.

At just eighteen, he took the New York City firefighter exam. In 1980, he joined FDNY Engine Company 55 in Manhattan's Little Italy, spending four years running into burning buildings before leaving to pursue acting.

He never forgot where he came from.

When the Twin Towers were attacked, Buscemi tried calling his old firehouse.

Nobody answered.

He knew exactly why.

Soon came the devastating news. Five firefighters from Engine 55 were missing, including a close friend he had once served beside.

He didn't stay home.

He found his old gear, made his way to Ground Zero, and searched until he found his former company.

At first, they looked at him with surprise.

Then they recognised one of their own.

For five days, Buscemi worked twelve-hour shifts beside them, digging through twisted steel and shattered concrete, searching for survivors and helping recover those who never came home.

It was exhausting.

Heartbreaking.

Necessary.

He refused interviews. He avoided cameras and kept his face covered, wanting the mask to hide more than the dust.

He wasn't there for headlines.

He was there for his brothers.

The public learned what he had done only because a photographer captured a single image, and fellow firefighters later told the story he never intended to share.

The experience stayed with him.

Buscemi has spoken about the post-traumatic stress that followed, admitting the hardest part came after he returned home.

He never called what he did heroic.

"It was a privilege to be able to do it."

On screen, Steve Buscemi often plays the man nobody trusts.

When his city needed him most, he became the man his brothers could.

[Wondrous Nature @nature_c2ngn]

Sonoran Desert in Arizona 😲😍

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The magnificence of Volcàn de Fuego, Guatemala.

[📹 sebastian_schieren]

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

At just 20 years old, Spain’s future queen speaks eight languages and has already finished military training.

Spain’s future queen is already drawing global attention at just 20 years old. She reportedly speaks eight languages and has completed military training, reflecting the extensive preparation expected of members of the Spanish royal family before taking on greater public duties.

Her path to the throne involves far more than ceremonial appearances. From mastering multiple languages to military service and diplomatic training, future monarchs often spend years preparing for the responsibilities of one day becoming king or queen.

[Paul Wright 🇬🇧🇯🇲🇸🇰 @macro_action]

A MITEY shot!
There is literally a might on the head of this Hoverfly in flight
Canon R5 and Sigma 150mm macro
SS1/2000 F6.3 ISO2500 #macro #insects #nature #insect #macrophotography #entomology

[The Astronomy Guy @astrooalert]

A Rare Cloud Formation Over Texas ☁️🇺🇸

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

An incredibly rare black deer spotted in the forest of the Barycz Valley, Poland.

Most estimates guess that only about 1 in every 500,000 deer is melanistic.

[📹 Jakub Wencek]

[Night Sky Today @NightSkyToday]

The clearest image ever captured of Mars’ North Pole.

and yes, that’s water ice...!

[Science Girl @ScienceThing5]

A SPECTRUM OF LIGHT IN THE DARK 🌈🦑
On a night dive, the darkness becomes a stage. Under my strobes, this Bigfin Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) revealed an incredible palette of iridescent colors.

[Wondrous Nature @nature_c2ngn]

A rare look at a tree burning internally after a lightning strike.

[Rémi Kasprzyk @KasprzykRemi]

Cette photo mérite absolument tous les prix. Elle a même sa place au Louvre.

Elle relate précisément l’inertie de l’individu face à l’effondrement.

Regardez la composition. Un chef-d’œuvre involontaire.

Au premier plan, le sable doré, les tongs abandonnées, la glacière. Le décor ordinaire du bonheur estival. Deux personnages assis, de dos, comme dans un tableau de Caspar David Friedrich. Sauf que Friedrich peignait des hommes contemplant le sublime. Ici, ils contemplent la catastrophe. Et ils ne bougent pas.

Au centre, le parasol. Publicitaire, criard, dérisoire. Un pastis face à l’apocalypse. C’est presque trop parfait : la France qui prend l’apéro pendant que le monde brûle. Aucun scénariste n’aurait osé.

Et puis le ciel. Les deux tiers de l’image. Cette muraille de fumée qui avale la lumière, ce dégradé d’ocre et de noir digne d’un Turner. La nature qui reprend la palette des maîtres pour peindre notre propre fin.

La femme photographie l’incendie avec son téléphone. Mise en abyme totale : nous documentons notre disparition au lieu de l’empêcher.

Cette image dit tout. Le déni, le confort, l’habitude. Nous sommes tous sur cette plage. Nous voyons tous le nuage. Et nous restons assis, parce que l’eau est bonne et qu’on a posé nos congés.

Les historiens de l’art parleront un jour de cette photo comme on parle du Radeau de la Méduse.

Sauf que cette fois, le naufrage, c’est nous qui le regardons depuis la plage.
💔🌍

[All day Astronomy @forallcurious]

A green flash just after the sunset, extremely rare atmospheric phenomena witnessed!

[HerodotusWave @HerodotusWave]

Next-level public seating: The iconic "Dino benches" in Fukui, Japan—the dinosaur capital of the country!

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

This kind man carries water to two thirsty Dogs that live in an area of overwhelming heat.

The Dogs' happiness and excitement are worth watching.

Happiness and kindness are simple wills and so easily given. ❤️

[VIEW @viewsoff]

300 year old oak trees, Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana

[𝕐o̴g̴ @Yoda4ever]

The boy went to the shelter with the intention of adopting a kitten, and as soon as he arrived, one of the cats hugged him..🐈🥺

Cat chooses you..🐾❤️