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Can That Be Real? Trees Covered In Spider Webs?

by Claire O'Neill

Because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water took so long to recede, many trees became completely cocooned in spiders webs. Enlarge image i
Russell Watkins
Because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water took so long to recede, many trees became completely cocooned in spiders webs.
Russell Watkins

This is one of the most incredible photos I have seen in the past year. At the end of 2010, flooding in Pakistan had an unexpected result: Millions of spiders climbed into trees to escape the waters and completely shrouded trees in their webs. The sight was almost too unbelievable to be real and, needless to say, the photos, which had been posted to Flickr, went viral.

They weren't captured by anyone too famous. Russell Watkins was photographing for the U.K.'s Department for International Development — which just shows that there are talented people all over the world taking pictures every day. That's especially evident in National Geographic's photo contest, currently under way. This is a small selection of photos that have been submitted; you can enter yours on their website!

  • Bulgarian locals gather in a mud pool at the sea salt mines near Bourgas.
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    Bulgarian locals gather in a mud pool at the sea salt mines near Bourgas.
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    Antoni Georgiev/National Geographic
  • This is a shot of one of the many thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park.
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    This is a shot of one of the many thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park.
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    Danielle Goldstein/National Geographic
  • Falling leaves, Bruges, Belgium
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    Falling leaves, Bruges, Belgium
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    Mandy Michels/National Geographic
  • A sky full of light, texture and a beautiful lightning show by a grain elevator in Pense, Saskatchewan
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    A sky full of light, texture and a beautiful lightning show by a grain elevator in Pense, Saskatchewan
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    Vanessa Neufeld/National Geographic
  • Winter is extremely beautiful in Lithuania. ... This landscape feels out of this world, but in fact it's in the outskirts of my home city, Kaunas, just a mile away from my house. Oftentimes beauty lies just a step away from our door.
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    Winter is extremely beautiful in Lithuania. ... This landscape feels out of this world, but in fact it's in the outskirts of my home city, Kaunas, just a mile away from my house. Oftentimes beauty lies just a step away from our door.
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    Matas Juras/National Geographic
  • Every year around the month of October, Dubai experiences heavy fog due to the still-high humidity and the falling temperatures. With all the new high-rise buildings ... this provides a great photographic opportunity.
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    Every year around the month of October, Dubai experiences heavy fog due to the still-high humidity and the falling temperatures. With all the new high-rise buildings ... this provides a great photographic opportunity.
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    Catalin Marin/National Geographic
  • The Cloud
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    The Cloud
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    Dmitry Gorilovskiy/National Geographic

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