#land of the midnight sun

Land of the midnight…moon?

In the winter, the sun stays below the horizon for a large part of the day at Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. During these short December days, the refuge only sees slightly more than 2 hours of sunlight with longer periods of twilight.

The rich wetlands of the Yukon Flats provide some of the most productive waterfowl breeding areas in North America. It is estimated that 1.5 million ducks breed here annually.

The animals that remain here year-round — moose, wolves and wolverines — depend on their thick coats and honed skills to survive the cold and darkness.  

Photo by Lisa Hupp, @usfws. Photo description: A twilight colored sky hangs above a snowy forest below. The moon in the sky is just over half full.