Culture Art & Media The 20 Most Popular Reader's Photos of 2019 By Melissa Breyer Editorial Director Hunter College F.I.T., State University of New York Cornell University Melissa Breyer is Treehugger’s editorial director. She is a sustainability expert and author whose work has been published by the New York Times and National Geographic, among others. our editorial process Melissa Breyer Updated December 28, 2019 credit: Tony LePrieur / Flickr Share Twitter Pinterest Email Culture History Travel Sustainable Fashion Art & Media Holidays Community From ancient trees and strange sea slugs to odd and adorable insects plus more, our most popular reader's photos of the year are a tribute to Mother Nature. Readers submit nature photos to our Flickr pool and by email – and our readers are really talented. Photos come from all over the world and feature everything from the vast night sky to the minutiae of an insect's antennae. Each one is a wonder unto itself. While there are no bad ones, the following ten were extra great ... and earned the most views over the course of the year. Which one is your favorite? 20. Sea otter saves the day © Sam McMillan / Flickr 19. The Needles at sunset credit: Rick Derevan / Flickr © Rick Derevan / Flickr 8. Baby stick insect proves that Mother Nature is a mad genius (video) © Andreas Kay / Flickr 17. Every circle is a tiny animal © John Turnbull / Flickr 16. Fuzzy bee sleeps in a flower © marlin harms / Flickr 15. Pika gathers up the grass © Tony LePrieur / Flickr 14. Pirate spider or alien, you decide © Andreas Kay / Flickr 13. Beautiful ravens show off their smarts © Tom Van den Bergh / Flickr 12, How are seashells formed? credit: John Turnbull / Flickr © John Turnbull / Flickr 11, Why are cardinals so conspicuous? credit: Richard Liebert / Flickr © Richard Liebert / Flickr 10. White Mountains hold an ancient secret © Rollie Rodriguez / Flickr 9. 170-year-old fig tree is a majestic beauty Pete the Poet / Flickr/CC BY 2.0 8. Rainforest hoverfly has crazy moves (video) © Andreas Kay / Flickr 7. See the tortoise beetle's adorable walk (video) © Andreas Kay / Flickr 6. Sideways glance, owl-style credit: Tony LePrieur / Flickr © Tony LePrieur / Flickr 5. Meanwhile in Sweden... © Josefine Karlsson / Flickr 4. Seagoing slug proves truth is stranger than fiction credit: John Turnbull / Flickr © John Turnbull / Flickr 3. Spiny devil katydid is strange and adorable © Andreas Kay / Flickr 2. Jackrabbit isn't a rabbit at all © Mark Heatherington / Flickr 1. This is what the world's oldest tree looks like credit: Rollie Rodriguez / Flickr © Rollie Rodriguez / Flickr