The Poetic Beauty of Nature

10 natural phenomena that seem too magical to be real…

Starling murmuration in the shape of a giant bird, photo by Daniel Biber

In Walden (1854), Henry David Thoreau wrote:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Whenever I feel like I’m drifting through life on autopilot, I return to this classic. It never fails to ground me and to rekindle the love of nature that has always lived within me.

There’s a certain understanding that only those who grew up in the countryside, with direct contact with the natural world can share — no matter where life takes you, those formative years leave an indelible mark. And that connection is something no one can ever take away…

For those who once climbed trees to glimpse the world from above, and for those who never had that chance, this is for you. Nature is a poem that never ends, and Thoreau’s words are our map through it. Pause, lean in, and let this be your reminder to “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life”…

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Part memoir, part spiritual quest, Walden chronicles Thoreau’s experiences during two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, on land owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. He blends precise scientific observations with metaphorical reflections, exploring simple living, self-sufficiency, and the importance of following one’s conscience.

Along the way, he critiques materialism and societal pressures, examining the “quiet desperation” that traps the majority of men in lives dictated by possessions and expectations. Thoreau urges us to reevaluate what is truly necessary for a fulfilling life, suggesting that happiness arises from simplicity, independent thought, and a deep, abiding connection with the natural world.

It is precisely that connection that I want to explore here. Below are 10 of nature’s most poetic phenomena, each capable of bringing Thoreau’s words to life:

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

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1. Crown Shyness

Crown shyness is a subtle marvel of the forest, where the crowns of fully grown trees seem to respectfully avoid one another, leaving winding channels of sky between them.

Most often seen among trees of the same species, it can also appear between different species, as if nature itself draws invisible boundaries to preserve harmony. Scientists suggest this elegant spacing may help slow the spread of leaf-eating insects.

2. Desert Bloom

This rare superbloom was captured by Emily Dickey in the Utah desert.

In early to mid-spring, as temperatures soften and the desert receives its occasional blessing of rain, dormant seeds stir beneath the soil, awakening to life. Slowly, almost miraculously, flowers emerge between the cracks, spilling color across the arid landscape like fragments of sunlight scattered on the earth.

3. Firefall

When Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park is flowing in February and the conditions are just right, the setting sun can light it up in fiery shades of orange and red, creating the illusion of a blazing waterfall…

This brief but breathtaking spectacle, lasting about 10 minutes, is famously known as the “Firefall,” a nod to both the natural phenomenon and the historic manmade Yosemite Firefall.

4. Alpenglow

Alpenglow — known in Italian as Enrosadira, a Ladin word meaning “to turn pink” — is a stunning optical phenomenon that transforms the Dolomite peaks at sunset.

As the sun dips just below the horizon, a soft, horizontal reddish glow stretches across the sky, illuminating the mountains in ephemeral shades of pink and purple, as if the earth itself is blushing in farewell to the day.

Thoreau wrote in his journal in 1854:

I need solitude. I have come forth to this hill at sunset to see the forms of the mountains in the horizon — to behold and commune with something grander than man. Their mere distance and unprofanedness is an infinite encouragement.

5. Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence occurs when microscopic plankton produce light through chemical reactions within their bodies, turning waves and shorelines into a shimmering spectacle of liquid stars at night.

Famous for its enchanting “Sea of Stars,” Vaadhoo in the Maldives — captured here by Kristina Makeeva — often glows with a mesmerizing radiance when the bioluminescent season is at its peak.

6. Fire Rainbow

The phenomenon captured in the photo, taken in California’s Sierra Nevada, is known as a circumhorizontal arc, an optical display created when sunlight refracts through plate-shaped ice crystals suspended high in the atmosphere.

Despite the nickname “fire rainbow,” it’s neither a rainbow nor related to fire. But here’s a fun twist about real rainbows: they’re actually full circles. From the ground we usually see only the upper arc because the circle’s center sits directly opposite the Sun, and anything below the horizon is hidden from view.

To see a complete 360° rainbow, you’d need sunlight and water droplets below your line of sight — something that rarely happens at ground level. But from higher vantage points, such as tall buildings or an aircraft, the full circle often comes into view.

This reminded me of Thoreau’s words from the final chapter of Walden:

The universe is wider than our views of it.

7. A Phoenix in the Heavens

The eruption of Mount Etna creates the illusion of a Phoenix rising in the sky.

This surreal moment was captured by Italian photographer Davide Basile in July 2019 from Riposto, a coastal town just east of Mount Etna in Sicily.

8. Sunset Solar Eclipse

Have you ever seen a sunset and a solar eclipse at the same time?

Well, now you have:

Dan McGlaun took this incredible photo at Big Spring State Park, Texas, on May 20, 2012.

9. Starling Murmuration

This image by Søren Solkær captures a swirl of starlings converging above St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

A starling murmuration is a breathtaking natural phenomenon, where thousands of starlings move in synchronized, shape-shifting clouds at dusk, creating patterns in the sky.

In ancient Greco-Roman practice, augury involved observing birds for omens, with the act of interpreting them called “taking the auspices” (from the Latin auspicium, meaning “looking at birds”).

Watching a murmuration, it’s easy to see why the ancients saw these flocks as a prophetic glimpse of the future…

10. Inosculation

The thinner tree was cut down years ago, yet the larger one has continued to support and nourish it ever since.

This phenomenon, called inosculation, has led people to refer to them as “husband and wife” or “marriage” trees.

They “wake up” together in the spring and “go to sleep” together in the autumn.

Confronted with such beauty, it’s impossible not to reflect on how much we can learn from nature and how often we overlook her profound lessons. On August 23, 1853, Thoreau wrote in his journal:

All nature is doing her best each moment to make us well — she exists for no other end. Do not resist her.

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