Nature’s art

Ever since I, as a young man, was fooled twice by the same tree stump, into believing that I had encountered a marten, I have made it a sport, during nature walks, to try to spot objects, rock formations, markings on rocks, etc., which resemble something – a famous person, an animal, a super-natural being, or other. Use your imagination on your next hike – and your trip may have a new dimension!

Forms, outlines, or edges of rocks often resemble something – but only from certain angles and distances. Several examples are shown below.

This coastal rock, off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark, was formed by rainfall, waves, and wind. It has been dubbed Kamelhovederne (‘Camel Heads’), although one of the figures resembles a wolf, rather than a camel. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The outline of these coastal rocks in Salt Point State Park, California, photographed at sunset, resembles the profiles of two ogres, a large one and a small one, both with a pointed nose and open mouth. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

These coastal rocks on the island of Bornholm, Denmark, resemble a large-eyed frog (left) and a wide-mouthed toad. They are covered by a species of orange lichen, Xanthoria aureola. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This rock formation in the Liwa River Gorge, Taroko National Park, Taiwan, is called ‘Fish Jumping over the Dragon Gate’. The image of a giant fish is seen, ‘swimming’ along the gorge – the narrow, dark rock in the centre, with mosses and other plants forming the ‘scales’. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Mist envelops a rock formation, called ‘The Old Man of Storr’, Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. In fact, the faces of two lying ‘ogres’ can be seen – one smaller to the left with a heavy eyebrow, a small nose, and a protruding lower lip, and a larger one to the right with a very long nose and also a protruding lower lip. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

‘E.T.’ (short for ‘extra-terrestrial’) is an alien in a film from 1982 by American director Steven Spielberg (born 1946). This creature, with a large, bulbous head, is left on the Earth by mistake and makes friends with a small boy. They go through many adventures, before E.T. is reunited with his family.

Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, United States, is an area of Entrada Sandstone, which has been eroded by rainfall and wind into the weirdest forms, called goblins. This formation resembles E.T. (right) ‘kissing’ the dog Snoopy, a figure from the cartoon Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Heart shapes often occur in nature. Several examples are shown below.

These lichens, growing on a tombstone in the town of Nexø, Bornholm, Denmark, form the shape of a heart. – Other tombstones are depicted on the page Culture: Graves. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In former days, a common habit among lovers was to carve a heart in the bark of a tree, with your initials in the centre, and often Cupid’s dart through it. This habit has now largely disappeared.

Below, an example is shown in the bark of an old Swedish whitebeam (Sorbus x intermedia), observed on the island of Lyø, Funen, Denmark. This species is native to southern Sweden, the Danish island of Bornholm, south-western Finland, the Baltic countries, and northern Poland.

Swedish whitebeam is a natural hybrid, probably with genes from three species: rowan (S. aucuparia), wild service tree (S. torminalis), and common whitebeam (S. aria). The inflorescences are umbel-like, and, as opposed to the flowers of rowan, their fragrance is unpleasant. When left alone, this tree can grow very large, with a trunk diameter of up to 3 m, although specimens with a diameter below 1 m are much more common.

Rowan is described on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

Eight of the ten species of the magnificent plane trees, genus Platanus, are indigenous to North America, one is found in Laos and Vietnam, whereas the tenth species, the oriental plane tree (P. orientalis), is distributed from the Balkans and Turkey southwards to Jordan, but may be a native as far west as Italy, and as far east as Kashmir in northern India. As it is widely cultivated, it is often difficult to decide, whether a population is indigenous or not.

The generic name is from the Greek platanos, which was the ancient name of maple trees (Acer). It refers to the maple-like leaves of the oriental plane tree. Some North American species are called sycamores, likewise referring to the leaves, which resemble those of the European sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus).

American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), also known as American planetree, is native to the eastern part of North America, from extreme southern Canada southwards to the mountains of north-eastern Mexico. The specific name is Latin for ‘western’, referring to the New World. At the time when it was named by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-78), the only other known species in the genus was P. orientalis (‘eastern’), which is restricted to Eurasia.

Plane trees are described in depth on the page Plants: Ancient and huge trees.

The native area of the wild cherry (Prunus avium) was probably from France across central and southern Europe to the Caucasus. Today, it is cultivated in numerous countries around the world, in Europe as far north as Denmark and southern Sweden. As its name implies, it often becomes naturalized.

Cherry species are dealt with in detail on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

Countless plant species have heart-shaped leaves. Here, a single example is shown. The parasol-leaf tree (Macaranga tanarius), also called heart leaf or nasturtium tree, belongs to the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). It is native to eastern China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and eastern Australia.

The following 3 pictures show the decay, taking place in an old sweet cherry (Prunus avium), which grew in our garden in eastern Funen, Denmark. Once upon a time, two branches were cut off, and in 2003, the knots, together with scars beneath them, resembled some large-eyed extra-terrestrial with one nostril and a small mouth (top).

In 2017, 14 years later, further decay had changed the features of the alien, which now had bulbous eyes and a long, beak-like nose (centre).

In 2021, the tree finally died. The alien now had a large, upturned nose and a gaping mouth (bottom).

The tree fell in a storm in 2023.

Angled luffa (Luffa acutangula), also called ridged gourd, sponge gourd and many other names, is a native of Tropical Asia, where it is also widely cultivated. Young fruits are cooked as a vegetable, or pickled, whereas the fibres inside mature fruits are used as a sponge or for making hats. The species is also utilized in traditional folk medicine. The seeds are emetic and purgative, and they are eaten to expel intestinal worms. Fruit and seeds are also used in treatment of venereal diseases, especially gonorrhea.

These two pictures show cross-sections of the dried interior fibrous layer of angled luffa fruits, with air channels, which resemble a toothed monster (top) and a sad face. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Guava (Psidium guajava) is a small tree of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to the Caribbean, and from Mexico eastwards to northern South America. Today, it is cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. As almost ripe, the fruit has a fresh, slightly sour taste, whereas a ripe one has a sweet taste. Over-ripe fruits are not very pleasant, having a sickly taste.

When Judy cut this guava fruit in half, this happy face emerged, where seeds are forming eyes, nostrils, and a mouth with a licking tongue. We did not manipulate the seeds! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Pomelo (Citrus maxima) is a large citrus fruit, measuring up to 30 cm across, with a thick, spongy skin and sweet flesh. This species originates in Southeast Asia and Malaysia, but is widely cultivated elsewhere, especially in China and Taiwan.

Other citrus species are described on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

The incredibly narrow Antelope Canyon, Arizona, United States, has been eroded down into the Colorado Plateau by flash floods – a process, which has taken place over millions of years.

In severe winters, each falling tide leaves a thin layer of frozen saltwater on emerging stones. The following rising tide will press this layer outwards, leaving a new thin layer of ice inside the previous layer. In this way, several rising and falling tides create a ’flower’ with delicate ice petals.

Other ice sculptures, formed around stones in shallow water in Horsens Fjord, are seen below.

Wonderful rock formations are created in limestone caves under certain pH conditions. Rain water, which contains carbon dioxide, seeps through cracks in the limestone and dissolves tiny amounts of calcium carbonate and other minerals. Over the millennia, various types of calcium bicarbonate structures are formed in the cave.

The commonest types are stalagmites (Greek for ‘dropping’ or ‘trickling’), which rise from the floor of the cave, when water drips from the ceiling, causing the minerals to be deposited, and stalactites, the corresponding type that hangs down from the ceiling. Often, the two types connect to form columns.

A combination of light and shadow on this dead tree creates what resembles a toothless, gaping monster, with long, wavy Elvis Presley-hair hanging down over his face. – Tongariro National Park. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Balsams (Impatiens) are widely distributed in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, and in montane areas of the Tropics. This large genus has attractive flowers of a unique structure, having 3 or 5 sepals, of which the lower one is greatly enlarged to form a pouch with a spur, and the other 2 or 4 are small and greenish. There are 5 petals, of which the upper one is often helmet-like, whereas the 4 lateral ones are fused in pairs, the upper pair forming the wings, the lower pair the lip.

The generic name, as well as popular names of these plants, like touch-me-not and snapweed, were given in allusion to their way of spreading their seeds. As the fruit reaches maturity, a tension builds up inside the pod, causing it to ‘explode’ when touched, hereby spreading the seeds a considerable distance.

Several Himalayan balsam species are described on the page Plants: Himalayan flora.

In this picture from the Upper Marsyangdi Valley, Annapurna, central Nepal, some of the flowers of this Impatiens bicornuta rather resemble French artist Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Thinker. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The name Cucurbita pepo covers several varieties of cultivated fruits, including pumpkin, winter squash, and summer squash, besides a number of ornamental forms. Botanically, these fruits are berries. This species originated in Mexico, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Some taxonomists recognize C. pepo as a species with three subspecies: pepo, which is only known in cultivation, fraterna, which grows in the wild in north-eastern Mexico, and texana, which grows in the wild in Texas. Others claim that fraterna is the original species, with subspecies pepo as the cultivated form.

Common thorn-apple (Datura stramonium) is described on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

Two species of false cypresses, of the genus Chamaecyparis, are native to Taiwan, the Taiwan red cypress (C. formosensis) and the Taiwan yellow cypress (C. obtusa var. formosana), both growing in areas of high precipitation at medium elevations, between 1,300 and 2,600 m altitude.

These magnificent trees are described in depth on the page Plants: Ancient and giant trees.

Tetrameles nudiflora is a huge rainforest tree, which can grow to a height of 45 m. It is distributed in the Indian Subcontinent and in Southeast Asia, southwards through Malaysia and Indonesia to northern Australia.

Other pictures, depicting this species, are shown on the page Plants: Ancient and giant trees.

Swellings on the lower trunk of this giant Tetrameles nudiflora, growing at the entrance to Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Cambodia, somewhat resemble a couple, mourning over a deceased person. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Many of the coastal rocks at Jialeshuei, Kenting National Park, southern Taiwan, have been eroded into resembling various animals.

Coigüe (Nothofagus dombeyi) is one among ten species of southern beeches in Chile, described in detail on the page Travel episodes – Chile 2011: The white forest.

Dipterocarpus alatus is a large evergreen forest tree, which can grow to a height of 40 m, sometimes up to 55 m. It is found in tropical Asia, from Bangladesh eastwards through Southeast Asia to the Philippines. It is one of the most important timber species in this region, and wild populations are highly threatened by habitat loss. It is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The generic name is derived from the Greek words di (‘two’), pteron (‘wing’), and karpos (‘fruit’), referring to the two-winged fruits of this genus. Fruits are depicted on the page Plants: Ancient and huge trees.

This leaf of Dipterocarpus alatus, which has fallen among the ruins of Angkor Thom, Cambodia, displays a beautiful pattern, created by micro-organisms, which have eaten most of it. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In former days, poplars (Populus) were often planted along roads and between fields, as they would provide people with branches for countless purposes. This repeated pruning often kept the poplars low and gnarled. Today, the poplars are often pruned to keep them low, as high poplars often break during storms and can be a hazard to traffic. Details of old, stunted poplars often resemble monsters or other images.

Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, United States, is an area of Entrada Sandstone, which has been eroded by rainfall and wind into the weirdest forms, called ‘goblins’.

Santuario de la Naturaleza Granito Orbicular is an area north of Caldera, Chile, where granite rocks have been eroded into peculiar formations.

This bush resembles a woman, waving to passing black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis), Cao Hai Lake, Guizhou Province, China. This crane is described on the page Travel episodes – China 2009: Among black-necked cranes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Elephant seals derive their name from their great size, and also from the male’s large, inflatable proboscis, with which he makes loud roaring noises, especially during the mating season. These giant beasts were once on the brink of extinction, described on the page Folly of Man.

Raukar is the Swedish term of a type of rocks, found on coasts of the Swedish islands Gotland and Öland. A rauk is formed through erosion from waves, which erode away softer parts of the rocks, leaving a core of harder limestone. Since the melting of the ice that covered Sweden during the latest Ice Age, the land has been rising, causing many rauks to be above the sea surface today.

The native range of the Asian palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) is the Indian Subcontinent and Indochina, with disjunct populations in Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Its fruit is edible and sweet. A sugary sap, called toddy, can be obtained from the young inflorescence. It is fermented to make palm wine or a strong alcoholic drink, arrack. It may also be concentrated to a sweet, hard substance, in India called jaggery. It is used as a substitute for sugar. Palm wine is consumed in huge quantities in India and Sri Lanka.

This opened fruit of Asian palmyra palm (left) resembles a sad-faced alien. To the right is sugar, made from the fruits, wrapped in leaves and displayed for sale, Banteay Srey, Angkor, Cambodia. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The grey birch (Betula populifolia) is found in eastern North America, from Ontario and Nova Scotia south to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with isolated populations in Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana. It is often a pioneer tree, invading abandoned fields and burned areas.

The tinder polypore (Fomes fomentarius), also known as hoof fungus, is a parasitic fungus on various trees, but mainly on beech (Fagus sylvatica). It is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. It has very large fruit bodies, often shaped like a horse hoof, often being grey, but sometimes brown or black. When the host tree dies, the fungus changes from being a parasite to being a decomposer.

The common name refers the former usage of this fungus as tinder. It was also used to make clothing and other items.

Before the introduction of religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, worship of natural features was very common. Such worship is described in depth on the page Religion: Animism.

The picture below shows a crack in deposits of calcium bicarbonate at the Baishui Terraces, Yunnan Province, China. This crack resembles a vagina, and a knot above it are the ‘pubic hairs’. This formation is still sacred to the local people, who worship it. Incense sticks have been stuck into a grass tuft beneath the crack, in which a primrose (Primula) is growing.

Erosion from sea and wind has shaped the soft Daliao Sandstone rocks in Yeliou Geopark, northern Taiwan, creating fantastic formations.

The markings on this gall, growing on an old stem of a species of goldenrod (Solidago), resembles a face, Tattersall Farm Conservation Area, Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Honesty (Lunaria annua) is a plant of the cabbage family (Brassicaceae), whose flat, circular fruits (siliculas) have given rise to the generic name, which means ‘moon-like’. The two halves of the silicula are divided by a shining membrane, which remains on the plant for a long time, after the seeds have fallen off.

(Uploaded June 2016)

(Latest update May 2024)

Kaj Halberg - writer & photographer

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Nature’s art