The chaos of everyday life makes it easy for people to become consumed with their jobs, families, partners, hobbies, and whatever else. Leaning into the things that we are good at or comfortable with helps us get through the day.

Unfortunately, falling into boring routines of habit and comfort often makes it easier to forget to try new things, seek out unique experiences, and view the world with an open mind. Below is a collection of rare, interesting pictures that help reveal the lesser-noticed parts of life that are worth watching out for.

The Brocken Mountain Spectre Phenomenon

The “Brocken Spectre” is a rare optic happening that occurs when a person is standing with the sun on their back at a higher altitude in the mountains.

The light casts the person’s shadow on a cloud at a lower altitude making it look like a giant human lurks in the fog.

An Up-Close Look At A Flying Fish Out Of Water

Flying fish have been known to accidentally launch themselves into boats and fishing barges while they are sailing.

It’s no wonder the fish can manage such great leaps with fins that are almost exact replicas of certain bird wings.

“Dead Man’s Fingers” Reaching Out From The Forest Floor

This fungus could startle someone into thinking they discovered a dead body in the woods—yikes.

Despite its eerie looks, the fungus is a naturally occurring growth that forms at the bottom of trees. It is not generally considered an edible fungus—which makes you wonder how many people tried frying those fingers up.

The Underside Of Giant Water Lily Pads

The giant water lily is native to South America and produces the largest lily pad in the world.

The leaves, or “pads,” can grow as large as eight to nine feet in diameter, and a fully mature pad is capable of supporting up to 100 pounds of weight.

An Adorable Cat With More Toes Than Tail

Polydactyly is a condition where a person or animal is born with more than five fingers or toes on a single hand or foot, or both.

This adorable kitty somehow managed to develop a lot more toes than she needed, but her bonus toes just mean there’s more of her to love.

Horses On A Plane

We can officially stop using the phrase “when pigs fly” because as it turns out, livestock fly all the time.

These horses are standing in stalls that are arranged in a large cargo plane as it flies overseas.

The Backside Frame Of The Mona Lisa Is In Rough Shape

If you’re one of the many people who was underwhelmed by the Mona Lisa after seeing it IRL (spoiler alert: it’s surprisingly small), you’ll be even less impressed to see the back of it.

One of the most renowned pieces of art history is sealed in a wooden frame much like one you might find in your grandparents’ basement.

Robotic Biomechanical Prosthetic Fingers

Cyberpunk junkies can obsess over these biomechanical prosthetic fingers—the glove with robotic fingers is giving off major “Blade Runner” vibes.

As cool as it is, the functionality that this person living with a physical disability will receive from these biotech fingers is truly life-changing.

Over 200+ Lucky Four-Leaf Clovers Saved And Pressed

One seriously lucky (and observant) Reddit user managed to collect and save over 200 four-leaf clovers, then pressed them in a notebook to preserve them.

The top comment on the Reddit post certainly goes to Liddle_Jawn who wrote: “Anyone ever tell you not to press your luck?”

This Sunbird Cooling Off In A Tiny Flower Petal Bathtub

Wildlife photographer Rahul Singh wakes up at dawn to capture magnificent images of native bird species across the world. This image of a female crimson sunbird was captured in India where the heat in autumn can be exceptionally humid and stifling.

The caption reads: “In the morning, dewdrops are found on the edge of the grass, flower petals, and sometimes water is stored in the flower petals.” This beautiful small bird was “refreshing herself with the water stored in the petal of an ornamental banana flower,” relaxing in nature’s tiniest floral bathtub.

Some Denmark Neighborhoods Separate Homes Using Large Circular Hedges

In some neighborhoods in Denmark, people have taken to using rounded hedges in order to enclose their properties and offer some privacy from neighbors.

From an aerial perspective, the homes look suspended in little green bubbles, but on the ground, the round hedges stretch for hundreds of feet and require a bit of gardening upkeep.

Finnish Trees Frozen In Time And Snow At -40°F

In Finland, the winter temperatures easily drop below -40°F which results in large amounts of snow freezing to the trees.

The snow-packed trees appear like large plumes of rolling smoke erupting from a barren landscape. At first glance, it looks like a scene from a distant planet.

Nature Is Resetting In Places Without Tourists

This bamboo forest is one of the natural places in the world that actually benefited from the pandemic thanks to the travel restrictions that essentially eliminated all tourist traffic.

One young bamboo stalk grows unmarked by tourist hands, knives, and sticks. The new stalk is free of graffiti and bright green with youth.

Monkey Versus Model Village

This gibbon is pictured casually strolling through a model village at a zoo in Bakhchisaray, Crimea. The tiny town is so detailed that at first glance, it appears real and the gibbon looks giagantic.

The model town is already beaten up and looks like it’s been hit by some kind of apocalyptic disaster, but the monkey strolling through really completes the King Kong vibe.

Is This Real Life Or Star Wars?

Someone snapped this picture of the view outside their airplane window. The jet engine is visible over a flat expanse of cloud so evenly dispersed, it appears like a flat landscape with a clear horizon.

On the far left is a perfect cloud replica of an AT-AT Walker from The Empire Strikes Back.

The Door Is Real… The Rest Is Paint

This abandoned building was the perfect white-wall canvas for a street artist who wanted to create an optical illusion.

The door of the building is real, but all the “holes” to the right of the door are painted on. Standing at a different angle, the viewer would see that the wall is actually a flat, solid surface.