Extraordinary Flora

Courtesy of Krystol - The Upside Forest of Mendenhall Gardens in Alaska, US
Alaska, US

The Upside Forest of Mendenhall Gardens

Upside down trees serve as natural flower pots in this 'hanging garden of Alaska'

While Alaska's glaciers may have world wide renown, the Mendenhall Valley contains its own marvel lovingly crafted by Glacier Garden Rainforest Adventure owners Steve and Cindy Bowhay... »

Extraordinary Flora | Submitted by re_nakaba

Landsford Canal State Park in South Carolina, US
South Carolina, US

Landsford Canal State Park

Amazing pre-Civil War ruins alongside a shallow, rocky river that hosts beautiful (but endangered) lilies.

Landsford Canal was built 1820-1823 to accommodate river traffic around the shallow, rocky drop in the Catawba River... »

Watery Wonders | Submitted by Christopher.Robin

The Chair That Grew in Embarrass, Wisconsin
Embarrass, Wisconsin

The Chair That Grew

100 year old chair with joints "cemented by nature"

John Krubsack was a self-starter... »

Extraordinary Flora | Submitted by michelle

Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, Europe
Croatia, Europe

Plitvice Lakes

Chain of 16 wonderous lakes formed as a result of a geographic phenomenon known as "karst"

Karst is not a particular kind of rock, but rather the landscape that results from the combination of certain types of rock, often limestone or dolomite, and water... »

Natural Wonders | Submitted by nsmrekar

More girth than any tree in the world. - El Árbol del Tule (The Tule Tree) in Santa María del Tule, Mexico
Santa María del Tule, Mexico

El Árbol del Tule (The Tule Tree)

The stoutest tree in the world

Located inside a gated churchyard in the picturesque town of Santa Maria del Tule, the Árbol del Tule is the widest tree in the world... »

Extraordinary Flora | Submitted by Anonymous

Photo by A. Black - Calistoga Petrified Forest in Napa County, California
Napa County, California

Calistoga Petrified Forest

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods

The same turbulent forces that heat the waters of Calistoga's famous hot springs and geysers once turned a forest to stone. 3.5 million years ago an ancient volcano knocked down and buried a forest, including grove of enormous redwoods... »

Geological Oddities | Submitted by Annetta

Wooden Books of Padova University in Italy, Europe
Italy, Europe

Wooden Books of Padova University

While most books are made of wood, these wooden books are truly made of, and all about wood

Once a collection of roughly a hundred, nearly half of these rare wooden books have been lost or destroyed since their creation in the late 1700s or early 1800s, leaving only 56 of these amazing objects. What is particularly curious about these bo... »

Strange Science | Submitted by Anonymous

Historical photo of Green Animals, the oldest topiary garden in the United States. - Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Green Animals Topiary Garden

Unicorns, elephants, and bears, oh my!

Long before Steven King included topiary animals in his novel The Shining, plants rendered in unconventional forms have held an enchanting and, at times, disconcerting appeal to outsiders... »

Extraordinary Flora | Submitted by littlebrumble

Puppy at its permanent location in Aguirre plaza outside the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. - Jeff Koons' Puppy in Bilbao, Spain
Bilbao, Spain

Jeff Koons' Puppy

Giant topiary dog once played a role in a terrorist bomb plot

American artist Jeff Koons, famous for his large scale cartoony sculptures, was commissioned to create a piece to be displayed at Bad Arolsen in Germany in 1992... »

Extraordinary Flora | Submitted by littlebrumble

European Asparagus Museum in Bavaria, Germany
Bavaria, Germany

European Asparagus Museum

A collection dedicated to Germany's favorite vegetable

To see the asparagus museum as nothing more then a wacky collection about an arbitrary vegetable is to deeply misunderstand Germany's deep connections to the slender green vegetable... »

Extraordinary Flora | Submitted by Anonymous