Environment Planet Earth Photos of Nature Proving Its Resilience 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 June 14, 2019 CC BY 2.0. Francisco Anzola Share Twitter Pinterest Email Planet Earth Outdoors Weather Conservation No matter how hard we may try to tame her, Mother Nature always comes back to claim her turf. Humans are just the weirdest animals. We have this gorgeous, generous planet thriving with life, and all we seem to do is to strip it, pave over it, smother it with buildings, and leave our detritus everywhere. It doesn't seem very strategic – bite the hand that feeds us, much? But the thing is, nature – and especially the plant world – plays the long game. From fast-growing vines that consume signs and structures to forests that invade junked cars to slow-growing trees that pay no heed to the manmade environment, there's really no stopping the kingdom of plants. These photos prove the point. Mk2010/CC BY 4.0 © mkant Lewis Collard/CC BY 2.0 Kabelleger / David Gubler/CC BY 4.0 Jilibi/CC BY 4.0 © Katharine Woodman Michael Coghlan/CC BY 2.0