27 Incredible Photos Of The Natural Phenomenon Known As ‘Crown Shyness’

Turns out that some trees avoid each other like germaphobes. This peculiar phenomenon is known as ‘crown shyness’ and it naturally occurs in some tree species (such as eucalyptus, and Sitka spruce), resulting in zigzag patterns.

‘Crown shyness’ was first documented in the 1920s, and no one is certain why some trees exhibit it. Some experts attribute this to the harmful insects, others believe it occurs when trees are optimizing light exposure. One thing is for sure though, it shows us how mysterious mother nature is.