Pick a Color Burano, Veneto, Italy: Colorful buildings line a stretch of waterfront on the island of Burano in Italy’s Veneto. A fishermen’s village, Burano is a short boat trip away from neighboring Venice. The house colors follow an age-old system supervised by the government — notwithstanding the legend that fishermen painted their houses to be able to see them at a distance while out fishing. Photograph by Jim Richardson

 

Colorful neighbors Fjordland National Park, New Zealand: An almost surreal seafloor tableau unfolds in the shallow waters of Long Sound A blue cod picks its way through an assemblage of sea pens, named for their resemblance to old-time quill writing implements. Sea pens are actually colonies of tiny, tentacled polyps, which form “branches.” They are rooted to the seafloor by an anchoring bulb — which can shelter the entire colony when threatened. Photograph by Brian Skerry