12 Treescapes Dramatically Shaped by Wind

Long before humans discovered the art of shaping trees through bonsai, topiary and espalier, Mother Earth was doing some major horticultural sculpting herself.

One of the most extreme examples of this natural phenomenon can be found at Slope Point, New Zealand, the southernmost point of the country's South Island.

Situated just 2,982 miles from the South Pole, Slope Point is regularly pounded with extreme winds that have traveled uninterrupted for thousands of miles via the Antarctic circumpolar air stream. As evidenced in the photo above, the growth of nearby trees is dramatically affected as the fierce winds make landfall.

Continue below to see more examples of how trees around the world are forced to bend and twist to Mother Earth's will.

Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia

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San Francisco, California

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Twistleton Scars, Chapel-le-Dale, England

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Slope Point, New Zealand

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Darss, Germany

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England's south coast

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Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Big Island, Hawaii

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Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada

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Maui, Hawaii

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Cuckmere Haven, Sussex, England