It’s not always easy to do, and it’s not always something you even want to do, but taking a good look at something up close can often pay off. There are tiny details hiding right under our noses all the time. Heck, you could be missing out on something cool right now!
Don’t believe me? Check out all of the cool things people found when they took a closer look.
Delicate.
Frost comes in many shapes and forms, but quite possibly the prettiest are the fine hairs of hoarfrost, seen here sprouting on a wind turbine.
I wouldn’t want to do anything to disturb it, personally. It’s just too nice.
This old copper crayon is turning green.
And it’s just the outside layer, as this person shows. So, does that mean Crayola used real copper in its copper crayons?
Because when copper oxidizes, it turns green. Guessing they don’t make these like they used to anymore.
Ouch!
Just in case it was ever unclear where stingrays get their name from, here’s a stingray barb.
Up close, you can make out all the fine little saw-like teeth in it that must do all kinds of damage when you try to pull it out.
Are any two of them alike?
I was always told that no, no two snowflakes are perfectly alike and seen here, you can check out quite a few to see if that holds up.
Also, how awesome is it that this pooch’s noggin makes such a perfect backdrop?
A whole new world…
This is really just a stub of a carrot soaking in a bit of water. However, the thing just keeps growing, and the little green shoots poking up make it look like a tiny island.
Which, in this case, it sort of is.
Not done yet.
For one segment of this leaf — and not even the entire segment — it’s trying to cling onto one last shred of summer, remaining green when all else has succumbed and turned yellow.
That’s some surprising tenacity!
That’s a new one.
Usually, you don’t see products that advise against using themselves, apart from perhaps alcohol and tobacco.
But this smartphone case makes something of an existential plea with its owner in the fine print.
Makes sense.
Technically, Play-Doh is non-toxic. But that doesn’t mean you want to eat it, and this close-up pic shows why.
After enough time goes by, the sodium content crystallizes — and you have to think it would take a lot of sodium to make a chunk like that.
Elementary.
The next time you Sherlock fans visit Baker Street, keep a sharp eye peeled for this Holmes mural in the Tube. It’s made up of smaller Holmeses!
Spotted on some ‘Home Alone’ themed clothing.
I always appreciate when licensed merch goes to such lengths for the fans out there who spend their dough on it. Including little Easter eggs like this just shows that they’re fans, too.
All in one place.
When ladybugs hibernate, they do so in large groupings.
When they’re all together like this, you can see that they come with all kinds of different markings on their shells — and some don’t even have any dots!
Where was this during finals?
The perfect study pen does exist: if you look in the middle, you can see two coffee beans inside of it.
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When you twist the top, it grinds the beans ever so slightly, letting out a nice little energizing scent of coffee.
From reading to writing.
That’s some good recycling! These pencils aren’t technically made of wood, but they sort of still are — the insides are recycled newspapers.
That’s pretty much the full life cycle right there.
Like magic.
Nice work by the photographer here to capture not just the steam coming off of this hot beverage, but all the little dust-like droplets of water that make up the steam, shining in the sun. Beauty!
Swirly!
Okay, if there’s any nicer frost than the stuff on that wind turbine earlier, it’s this frost decorating someone’s car door handle. Any time you doubt that nature is an artist, think of this.
Message sent.
If you ever look under the hood of a Dodge Ram TRX (or “T-Rex”), you’ll find this scene that tells a little tale.
In the T-Rex’s jaws is a velociraptor, which is by no coincidence the nickname of this truck’s main competition, the Ford Raptor.
Gritty!
So, you want some traction on ice and snow? As you can see, it’s hard to beat this boot.
Examining the sole, you can make out the flecks of metal included in the material to give it some extra grit for traversing ice.
“The bottom of a sulcata tortoise foot.”
Nature knows a thing or two about traction, too. Of course, tortoises typically don’t have to contend with ice and snow, but it must come into contact with smooth rocks from time to time.
And as this close-up of its foot shows, it’s built for traction.
Nice touch.
Wearing glasses is not the greatest thing in the world, I can tell you from experience. So hey, let’s appreciate it when someone hides a little detail like these hearts for customers to find.
Welcome to my nightmares.
Okay, so nature is an artist — sometimes the subject matter is just a tad grim. In the spring and summer, these would be much more attractive; they’re snap dragons.
And as you can see, when the weather turns, they aren’t quite so nice.
