Trees grow tall and mighty, and they don't care what stands in their way. Neither signs, sculptures, nor other things that we attach to them can match their strength.
We at Bored Panda put together a list of pictures that show "hungry" trees devouring everyday objects just because they can.
So continue scrolling to remind yourself that nature is a force to be reckoned with. And if, for whatever reason, you need more proof after you're done, fire up our earlier publication about the times Mother Earth made people go "well, that sucks."
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Trees Can't Read
Tree Grew Around This Sign, Only Leaving The Word “Help” Visible
But as much as we admire them, trees are in a lot of trouble. A recent first-of-its-kind study assessing every kind of tree native to the United States found that 11% to 16% of them are threatened with extinction.
The research was carried out across the lower 48 United States over the past five years. It was a collaboration of multiple different organizations throughout the country and even a few global contributors. The result provided a better understanding of the current condition of the local plants and a starting point to work on to protect them.
This Tree Grew Around A Stone Sculpture Of A Face, Making It Appear As If There Is A Green Man Trapped Inside
Nom Nom Nom
The tree munched on the fence and spotted you looking at him. “Wanna have some?”
This Sculpture Of Jesus At Abandoned Cemetery In Poland Gets Slowly Absorbed By A Tree
"We can't protect what we don't know about," said Susan Pell, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden. "And so we really have to have a baseline of understanding of what things are at risk."
The scientists looked at the extinction risk, patterns of geographic and taxonomic diversity, and leading threats facing the species. The most common threat turned out to be invasive and problematic pests and diseases.
How?
Sharing Is Caring
I Am A Mailman, I Deliver To This Box Every Day
Old John Deere Parked For The Last Time
"As we have warmer climates, in our northern parts of our country, we see some of these invasive insects being able to go further north to attack more trees," Pell explained.
For instance, take the Emerald Ash Borer first found in Michigan.
"The early projections when it was first discovered were that it wouldn't make it to Canada. And now with climate change, projections are going to become more widespread in Canada and certainly in the United States," Pell said.
Arms In The Air And Smiling
During An Engagement Shoot, We Came Across This Truck In A Tree
The 'Hungry Tree', Slowing Devouring A Park Bench In Dublin, Ireland
After 10 Months This Tree Has Almost Swallowed A Key
Man tress can't afford a home but I can't afford a 2 bedroom apartment
Additional climate change threats include worsening drought conditions in parts of the country, widespread wildfires, and more intense storms with heavy rain. Other stressors for trees come from development and agriculture.
"What we’ve identified are the species that are most at risk," Pell said. "And we're also looking at some habitats that are most impressive on some of these areas and coastal environments, for example, that are under threat for development, and thinking about ways that we can conserve plants, both from a land perspective but also looking at what can we do for individual species that are really at risk."
Massive Strangler Fig
Those things like to snack on entire mysterious lost temples in the jungle - a fence is small potatoes by comparison.
Tree Astride A Wall
You Would Squint Too, If You Had To Gobble Up A Traffic Sign
This Tree Devouring The Buddha Statue
One thing they can do is protect their habitat. Specialists are also working to put at-risk trees in living collections — places like botanic gardens and arboretums.
Through the study, researchers found that there are currently 17 species of trees not found in living collections that need a new home.
Trees Sucking On A Swing In New Jersey
This kind of make it look safe, like "here I got you" the trees says.
The Way This Tree Is Stripping The Paint Off This Sign Only To Cover Itself In Paint
This Forgotten Bike That Grew Into A Tree
“Hey oak, check out my new bike, it’s fire.” “Dats so cool, palm, I’m getting a sign for my bday.”
I Lost These Glasses 10 Years Ago. Apparently, This Young Hackberry Has Taken Over Them
One of them is the Franklin Tree, also known as the Franklinia, which is native to the state of Georgia.
It was collected in the 1800s and never seen in the wild again. Now, however, it's found in over 100 living collections. An encouraging success story when you consider what is at risk if we lose threatened trees.
This Tree Swallowing A Trespassing Sign
This Magic 8 Ball Has Been Here For A Magical 8 Years
This Tree That Has Absorbed It’s Bench Over The Years
I Don’t Know Why They Had To Replace A Perfectly Good Sign
"Our livelihood is the environment," Pell said. "Trees are one of the most important organisms when it comes to the health of our natural environments here in the United States."
As we can see from the pictures, they really want to live. All we need to do is to help them more than we threaten them.
Trees Get Hangry Too
This Tree Grew Around A Fire Hydrant
A Tree In Front Of My Parent's House Grew Around An Old Hand Grenade
Was Told This Belongs Here. An Oak Tree Growing Around An Electrical Box
A Victorian-Era Post Box Being Slowly Swallowed By A Tree
Tree Grew Into This Rock And Made A Natural Pickaxe
This Tree Grew Over A Grave Stone And Took The Cross With It
My Basketball Hoop From The 90s
It Knows No Limits. Tree Consumes Metal Sign On The Hiking Trail
Saw This On My Lunch Break Yesterday
Feel sorry for the tree really, nothing would like a pole in its side
Found A Trail With A Bunch Of These
That brown bear is probably glued/nailed to the bark. The tree would have taken years to grow around it, and the fabric looks pretty much new...
Motorcycle In Pine. Laconia, NH
Found At The Abandoned Detroit Packard Plant, A Tree Consuming A Fire Hydrant
It is 2022,This is a time when trees have their own water bottles.
Sycamore Tree In France Looks A Bit Menacing After Devouring This No Parking Sign
Tree Sucking On The Silhouette Of A Hiker
This Helpful Tree
Nature Is Eating Metal. A 1970s Era Cadillac El Dorado. In Rural Area In Middle Florida
Wrench Toast
This Tree Trunk That Grew Around Cannonballs From The American Civil War
Someone Found This While Splitting Logs
If the film is still inside and can be developed I wonder what is on it.
My Grandpa Hung His Skates On A Small Tree When He Was Younger. He Forgot He Had Left Them There And Found Them Years Later
Invasive Tree Swallowed The Street Light
Tree Consuming Children... Sign
Freak Of Nature
A Forgotten Toy
This Tree Engulfed The Christmas Lights
The burnt out bulb that killed the entire stand is buried somewhere in there!
Tree Grows Between Metal And Latex Paint, Eating The Sign But Leaving It Readable
A Set Of Elk Horns Someone Hung In A Tree About 50 Years Ago
This Ficus Tree That Grew Around This Safe
Found My Dad's Bottle Opener
Tree Reclaiming Swing
Lamp “Post” In The Adirondacks, New York
My Grandparents' Old Clothesline Has Been On This Tree For So Long That It Has Started To Fuse With The Tree
My Sister's Tree Is Eating Her Fence
The Hook I Installed For A Hammock In My Backyard
This Old Wagon Wheel Got Absorbed By A Tree
Om Nom Nom Nom Nom... Slowly Digesting This Fence
This Gravestone Being Swallowed By A Tree
Slooooorp
Anyone Need Some Chains?
The Way The Tree Grew Around The Sign
Umm
Mmm... Live Electricity
Found In Hattiesburg, MS
Since trees grow height from the top and breadth by adding outer layers of cambium, this bike did not start at the ground and end up several feet off the ground years later.
Tree Eating Up A Pole With A Sign
This Tree Grew Around This Mountain Dew Can
The Way This Tree Grew Around A Fence
These Trees In Philadelphia That Grew Around Their Cages Like It's No Big Deal
Just imagine in 100 years or so (when nobody remembers anymore) the city decides to cut the trees for some reason. The worker starts up his chainsaw, begins to cut and bang! the chainsaw gets rebound when hitting the metal.
My Dad And I Started Giving Tree "Food" 15 Years Ago
Wtf??? Don't do that!! There might be toxins and stuff in that bike!! Who would do this???
This Tree Grew Inside This Brick's Hole
Found This Sucked In Stone At The Verdon Canyon. Made A Lamp Out Of It
Picture Of A Photo At My Doctor’s Office. Photographer Called It “Milk, It Does A Body Wood”
Was Walking Around My Neighbourhood And Found This Interesting Piece
Tree 1, Chainsaw 0
There's A Belt In This Tree
Don't break off my branches for "switches". Here, use this belt instead.
Aww, Now I'll Never Know Your Real Name
Tasty Table
This Rock My Sisters And I Put Between These Tree Limbs 10-Ish Years Ago
Softball Getting Slowly Crushed
Looks Like Someone Has A Drinking Problem
My Parent's Tree Ate An Anchor. More Than 40 Years Ago
The Way This Tree Has Grown Around These Signs
Tree Suckin' On An Updoot
The Way This Tree Grew Into This Fence
Someone Locked This Tree And It Grew Around
This Branch That Grew Around A Golf Ball
I'll Be Sucking On This Sign, Thank You Very Much
The Trees In My Local Park Are Very Hungry
Tree Hungry For Senior Citizens
Scars On A Tree After Growing Through This Fence
Delicious
The Gravestone Is Being Devoured By The Tree. Brookwood, UK
Someone’s Hungry
Tree Iron
Tree Sucking On A Delicious Rock
Hikers Beware, The Trees Are Hungry
Delicious Lamps
Fence-Eating Tree
Tree Trying To Consume This Fence For 100 Years
The Way This Tree Grew Over The Railing
“Ran When Last Parked”
A Walk Through The Woods
This Tree That Grew Around A Bowl
Enjoying A Tasty Stone Brisket
Lamppost Cuddle
Someone Really Wanted This Hammock Chain To Be Here Forever
Eating A Guard
My Friend's Mom Found This Awesome Piece Of Wood Swallowing A Rock
Found An Old Powerline Completely Engulfed By A Tree
This Tree Has Engulfed A Traffic Sign
And that's why they run a metal detector over trees before running them through the sawmill
Proof that once we are all gone, Nature will once more have the Earth 🌎
And that's why they run a metal detector over trees before running them through the sawmill
Proof that once we are all gone, Nature will once more have the Earth 🌎