10 Tree Roots Winning Their Battle Against Concrete

Sometimes, we tend to think we’ve got nature under control. After all, we’ve got air conditioning, space heaters and umbrellas, and when things get bad, sump pumps and generators to help clean up or keep us going.

But really, any illusion of control that we think we have is just that—an illusion. Take a look at these stunning photos to get a good idea of what nature’s really capable of.

Mankind’s relationship with nature is a difficult one – we must use it, live in harmony with it, protect it and protect ourselves from it. These visually striking images that we collected of tree roots colliding with concrete are beautiful symbolic representations of this complicated relationship.

It’s hard to say what it is exactly about tree roots that capture our imagination, but they have done so for thousands of years. They weave through the myths and stories of many different world cultures and get ingrained in our vocabulary of symbols. Their serpentine forms evoke images of rivers and lightning, and the slow but steady force with which they crush and destroy concrete (and occasionally even steel) conjures images of a natural reclamation of the civilized world.

Whatever these photos make you think of, we hope you love them as much as we do!