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Many people seek solace in nature, as it has the healing power to lower stress levels and improve our mental health. However, the same power can also create some of the most terrifying things that fuel nightmares, anxieties, and phobias, like vampire bats, zombie fungi, and flying snakes.

To show just how scary nature can get, our Bored Panda team compiled a list of pictures capturing unsettling encounters people had with Mother Nature. Scroll down to see them for yourself below, and don’t forget to upvote those instances that provoke a fearful respect for nature.

#1 Just A Regular Summer Day In Norway

Image credits: reindeerareawesome

#2 This Is A Path To The Toilet In My Family’s Vacation Home

Image credits: WTFlag0

#3 This Is Not A Clump Of Hair – It’s One Of The Most Venomous Caterpillars In The Us: Puss Caterpillar

Image credits: BreakRules939

If some natural phenomenon provokes an unpleasant or upsetting reaction in you, you might have some kind of ‘biophobia.’

The American Psychological Association defines it as “the fear toward certain species and general aversion to nature that creates an urge to affiliate with technology and other human artifacts, interests, and constructions rather than with animals, landscapes, and other elements of the natural world.”

#4 These Are Vulture Bees. They Make Honey Out Of Rotting Flesh

Image credits: IVMVI

#5 This Fish Caught In Australia

Image credits: asjkl_lkjsa

#6 This Piece Of A Tree Branch Looks Like A Zombie Hand

Image credits: CharlesDingus_ah_um

Some of the most common biophobias are arachnophobia—fear of spiders, ophidiophobia—fear of snakes, and musophobia—fear of mice or rats. Typically, the level of fear that an animal provokes isn’t proportional to the actual threat it poses. Some people could be afraid of butterflies and call themselves lepidopterophobes, even though the insect is harmless.

In fact, it’s impossible for a butterfly to pose a threat to humans, as they don’t have venom or stingers and can’t bite. They don’t carry diseases like other insects, avoid rough contact as they’re fragile, and feed on nectar instead of other organisms.

#7 This Dried Plant That Looks Like Tortured Souls

Image credits: concretemuskrat

#8 Mushrooms Growing Off Of A Stuffed Bear

Image credits: Mush4Brains-

#9 The Vultures On My Neighbors Roof

Image credits: NYCNICO

The previously mentioned phobias were all related to animals, which fall under the umbrella name ‘zoophobia.’ There are also biophobias that include the natural environment itself, which are generally called ‘ecophobia.’

An example of this is astraphobia, the intense and irrational fear of thunder and lightning. Another very similar one is astrophobia, which encompasses the fear of stars, outer space, and the night sky. There’s also the fear of trees—dendrophobia, water—hydrophobia, or snow—chionophobia. The list goes on and on—I think you get the drill.

#10 Inside A Sea Turtle’s Mouth

#11 Flower With A Weird “Face”. It’s Watching You

Image credits: BlakeTheMadd

#12 Friend’s Trail Cam In North Carolina

Image credits: PHFM

Some of these fears might seem irrational, but they have evolutionary reasons behind them. For our ancestors, nature was a big source of potential danger. Having phobic reactions towards nature and its creations may have helped the early humans to avoid infectious diseases or encounters with dangerous animals and organisms.

But nowadays, the biophobias can also be the cause of traumatic experiences and genetics. People with a close family member with a phobia or another anxiety disorder are more likely to develop fears related to nature. A phobia can also be triggered by a traumatic, difficult, or stressful experience. Like, for example, being stung by a bee might cause apiphobia—the fear of these insects.

#13 Spiders Gave My Garden A Halloween Makeover

Image credits: MacFit

#14 Moose With An Antler Growing Into Its Eye Socket

Image credits: T-Sten

#15 These Creepy Looking Clouds Are Called Scud Clouds

Image credits: codallas

The interesting thing that scientists have noticed about biophobias is that people are exhibiting strong phobic responses toward organisms that they can’t find in their immediate environment, even if they pose no tangible threats. This type of phobia has become one of the most common fears and is continuously increasing, especially in urban populations.

The expansion of urban areas could be the issue—that’s what some scientists think, at least. Urban areas reduce our opportunities to interact with nature, which may lead people to wrongly associate nature with fear or disgust.

#16 Hydnora Africana

Image credits: thats_a_risky_click

#17 Just Spotted Gwar Member At The Beach

I don’t know what this is. It looks like some starfitor sea anemone or something. I feel confident that kelp parts and sea weed and barnacles and muscles and sea anemone are all around it yet no clue that softball sized thing!

Image credits: Unorganized_Plank

#18 I Saw A Zombie Squirrel Today. Anybody Have An Idea What’s Going On With This Poor Guy?

Image credits: Fassmcjar

This is worrying because modern society may suffer from a vicious cycle of biophobia, leading people to the avoidance of nature and preventing them from benefiting from all the mental and physical perks nature can provide.

Biophobias can also hinder conservation efforts, particularly for less appealing-looking species that are very beneficial to our environment despite their appearance.

It’s important that we don’t let biophobias consume us, as they can have a negative effect on our mental and physical health and harm the living creatures and the environment we all share.

#19 A Gecko Tries To Eat A Venomous Spider. The Spider Injects Its Venom As It’s Being Chewed And Both Meet Their End On The Spot

Image credits: ItsactuallyEminem

#20 This Tree Is Terrifying, Especially At Night

Image credits: SurtrSvartr

#21 This Pattern On The Tree That Look Like Eyes

One way to reverse or avoid biophobia is education, researchers say. Studies have shown that exposure of young children to nature in a safe environment, such as with a schoolteacher or parents, has a great effect on their attitudes. Museums and parks can boost people’s knowledge about nature. In places where nature is not easily accessible, naturalist-guided walks or gardening can provide positive interactions with nature.

#22 Got A Notification From My Motion Activated Security And Clicked To Look And Jumpscared Myself

#23 This Mushroom Growing In My Garden, Looks Like It’ll Chomp You

Image credits: Readous

#24 My Grandma Has An Entire Colony’s Worth Of Bugs On Her Table

Image credits: AccomplishedNebula75

It’s crucial that people have these positive interactions and attitudes with nature, as indifference to nature can negatively impact people’s attention spans, physical activity levels, resilience to stress, and pose a threat to our environment and other organisms.

To avoid this, all it takes is to step outside, interact with nature, and educate ourselves about it. The fear of rattlesnakes won’t be as intense or all-consuming if a person knows that fewer than 0.0025% of people in the US are bitten by them each year, and only 5-6 are fatal. With more research, they might even find out that there are no rattlesnakes in their area and they have nothing to worry about.

#25 Found A Slug Slithering Out Of The Sinks Overflow Drain

Image credits: Harvey012

#26 Lightning Striking A Tree In Hardy County, West Virginia On 6/22/22

Image credits: Hipple

#27 She Got Herself A Nice Little Snack

Image credits: HollyG485

All of this plays a huge part in maintaining our well-being and protecting the organisms that are crucial to our environment.

“If you don’t care about something, you’re not going to take that next step to protect it,” says Linda Powers Tomasso, an environmental health researcher. “We only protect and care for what we know, what we love. If we don’t have an opportunity to get to know something, we will never develop that sense of love.”

#28 Nebraska Skies Are Beautifully Scary

Image credits: Banh-mi-boiz

#29 35 Degrees Before 9 AM And I Was Wandering Why The Birds Weren’t Interested In The Bird Bath

Image credits: whitecollarzomb13

#30 Wtf Did I Find In My Pool?

Found this in my pool in Sydney’s north shore, backing onto the Lane Cove National Park. Does not move (perhaps dead).
Does not even look real. Did I find an alien?

Image credits: Reglz

#31 I Love Australia

Image credits: RPA031

#32 The Sandbox Tree Also Known As The “Dynamite Tree” Grows Exploding Fruits

When fully mature, the fruits explode with a loud bang and fling their hard, flattened seeds at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. The shrapnel can seriously injure any person or animal in its path.

Image credits: mollystevens

#33 A Trilobite Fossil. Species Dicranurus Monstrosus, Lower Devonian Age

Image credits: reddit.com

#34 Airplane At My Company Ingested A Swarm Of Cicadas Into The Apu

Image credits: reddit.com

#35 The Giant Water Bug My Sister Found Near Virginia Beach

Image credits: Cannonel10

#36 Centipede Take Care Of And Protecting Her Brood

Image credits: dstlny_97

#37 A Flies Demise

Image credits: Basic_Celebration504

#38 Tree Roots Or Mold? All We Can Say Is Wtf Is That Growing Under Our Floors

They are dark red, raised. And breakdown when touched. There is water present in the last image. Lovely stuff growing between our slab and tarp that was below our laminate floor.

Image credits: Lrubin315

#39 My Dad Woke Up To A Sewer Crab In The Toilet This Morning…(We Live In A Tropical Climate) And Yes He Is A Cancer

Image credits: Known-Pop-8355

#40 I Met This Moose That Was On A Evening Walk

Image credits: reindeerareawesome

#41 Normal Spider? Count The Legs

I SWEAR on my fathers grave I didn’t edit these! And on pic 2 you see the legs shadows when I had flash activated! Daddy long legs? More like Daddy 12 legs!

Image credits: Distinct_Release_638

#42 Hammerhead Bat, Also Known As The Winged Moose

Image credits: Traditional_Towel_15

#43 Pre Historic Parasite Attempting To Escape From Its Host As It Is Drowning In Amber

Image credits: -PS5

#44 Praying Mantis Doing Its Part To Rid Us Of The Invasive Lantern Moth

Image credits: criles_mccriles

#45 Tree I Found In The Woods

Image credits: Alaric_Darconville

#46 This Pomegranate

#47 The Roots On This Plant

Image credits: cafeteriastyle

#48 Fly Laid Eggs On Fly Tape Overnight

Image credits: juicygargoyle

#49 Getting Stared Down By A Black Bear Eating My Door Dash Customers Garbage

I’m never delivering late at night to the boonies again! Looks like something from a horror movie.

Image credits: CaseyGamer64YT

#50 Ominous Ring In Night Sky

Seen over Disneyland before firework show, appeared small and then grew into a larger ring. Looks darker than the sky, almost like black smoke, but it’s a very distinct shape.