None of us need to be told how incredible nature is, we’re all lucky enough to see it all the time! From unbelievable natural phenomenons to the simple sight of a particularly pretty flower, every day we’re reminded about the fantastic things that surround us.
This list honors nature’s sheer force, the way it pushes itself constantly, and shows us that it’s hardcore as hell.
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“These large pumpkins I saw on the freeway.”
Forget falling leaves and sweater weather, seeing the absolutely giant pumpkins that grow every year is my personal favorite part of autumn. How can you look at these and not feel some inexplicable joy in your heart? They’re so great!
“Picture I took of a lightning bolt exiting a cloud.”
It’s photos like these that really blur the line between real life and fantasy novel in which someone angered a god, who then cast a perpetual storm upon the earth until a hero comes to satiate them and save us all.
“There is a plant going from under my sink.”
Some plants truly feel unstoppable. Some can be defeated with a swift blast of a powerful spray bottle, but some, like this one, will conquer every challenge they face to continue growing in the weirdest of places. You don’t need to be here, sprout, so thrive outside!
“This tree is on my morning route. I have watched it since it was a small leaf in a crack right after they redid this parking lot.”
Once again, some plants truly cannot be stopped. This thing busted through layers of asphalt just to prove that it will not be paved over. It will grow where it wants and no man-mad concoction can stop it. You tell ’em!
“This blood red sunrise through light layer of clouds taken with my phone.”
This image feels so inherently wrong it’s kind of spooky. The sun can be red during sunrise and sunset, sure, but here? This high in the air already? With endless grey around them? Nah, now it’s a terrible omen and we ought to stay in side.
“Just trying to ride a bike near a nesting magpie.”
For the magpie, it was love at first sight. It saw you and it just had to express its adoration, so it decided to swoop in and give you a kiss on the cheek.
Unfortunately for both parties, bird kisses tend to be extremely painful.
“Reynisfjara beach [in] Iceland [is] the most metal beach I have ever seen.”
This image evokes a feeling that’s the total opposite to most beach photos. Normally, you get bright blue water and soft, brilliant sand. It looks relaxing and fun. This beach consists of a painful-looking rock face and is entirely different shades of grey. ‘Relaxed’ is maybe the last thing I feel looking at this.
“Real Triceratops skull in mid processing I saw at the Denver Science Museum.”
I can only imagine what a delicate job this must be, with all those cracks this looks incredibly fragile. No one would want to be the one to accidentally break a piece off or cause the whole thing to crumble. “Way to go, Jim, these don’t grow on trees you know!”
“Spring in north Texas. I wish I had the before picture of the sunshine. It was 86° and dropped to 71° with rain and hail in roughly 30 minutes or so.”
Thunderstorms are a common enough occurrence that most of us don’t think much of them, but when you have the chance to see one approaching like this, it can really make your heart drop. It’s a scary sight!
“Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. The pigeons at the refinery I work at made nests out of stainless tie wire and zip ties.”
Their babies might not be the most comfortable growing up in a nest like this, but they will be incredibly tough. They’ll be the baddest birdies on the block, no one will want to mess with them.
“This amazing fungus I discovered while hiking in central Massachusetts.”
This looks like some snow-covered willow tree, but a massive one with a trunk the size of a house. Then you zoom out and it’s actually a chunk no bigger than your palm. It’s amazing how intricate it is!
“My pet beetles.”
People who keep pet bugs are some of the coolest pet owners out there. They tend to be super passionate about them and try their hardest to provide top-tier care. And they get all the bragging rights of having a unique pet!
“I came home to find a praying mantis munching on a cicada from the head down.”
It was nice of him to pause his dinner long enough for you to get a photo, and for both of them to pose! The mantis is about to bite, the cicada looks terrified, they’re great models!
Teamwork makes the dream work.
The user who took this photo sort of explained what’s going on here, “[The] antpocalypse continues. [I] honestly can’t believe they’ve survived this long, there was more heavy rain today but it seems like all the clumps have formed one mega raft and they’re trying to wait it out like [Noah].”
“This 11 lb mushroom from my parents backyard.”
It’s so sweet how proud you both look! This is an incredible find, and it’s bound to be delicious. The uploader said they were going to make soup with it. Hopefully it’s good, because it’s all they’ll be eating for about two weeks.
“I went hiking and found a stone that fell down the mountain and crashed like a tomahawk in this tree.”
Given that the tree isn’t that much wider than the rock, and said rock must have been falling at quite the velocity to get lodged like that, that’s one buff tree! It really took that hit to save any smaller, weaker trees from being obliterated.
“I’ve seen this pigeon the past 3 days walking around like nothing is wrong.”
If he’s able to live his life as he did before without any real issues going on, then nothing is wrong! He’s just being a little trooper and ignoring how much colder his head has felt lately. Maybe he’ll buy a hat for the winter.
“Canadian woman miraculously escapes death when a meteorite crashes through her home and lands on a pillow next to her as she slept.”
Is this a one in a million chance? Absolutely. The odds are probably slimmer than that, actually. Would I still never be able to sleep in that same spot again? Also yes. I wouldn’t risk that meteor’s friend showing up a few inches over.
“2 snakes stuck on the glue trap at my work. Must have followed those crickets in. [Extra] virgin olive oil and some tlc and both are back in the wild.”
They must have been real conflicted while you were helping them. The desire to attack a predator while also not being able to move and being helped by said predator must have had them confused!
“The end of a Sequoia tree.”
The way this tree burnt out looks super surreal, but also incredibly contained. Like this on sequoia decided to sacrifice itself in order for the fire to not spread as far as it would have otherwise. Luckily, some new trees will grow in its place, meaning it only helped foster new life.