Photo Credit: Tom Schwabel via onlinecentral.com

Trees are some of the world’s greatest living things. They not only turn carbon dioxide into the oxygen we breathe and provide shelter and shade for countless creatures, they’re wonderful to gaze at. Some of the world’s most awe-inspiring trees, like this Japanese Maple in Portland, Oregon, pictured above, are so mesmerizing, we could stare at them for hours.

Wisteria Tree, Ashikaga Flower Park, Japan

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This 145-year-old wisteria tree covers more than 21,420-square feet. It’s the largest of its kind in Japan. If you visit the Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi between late April and mid-May, you’ll see it at its peak, with  the branches of the vine, rich with vibrant blooms, supported by numerous steel poles. Visitors can walk below its canopy, admiring its extraordinary beauty.

Moss-covered Sitka Spruce, Olympic Rainforest, Washington

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The moss-covered sitka spruce trees found in Olympic National Park in Washington State look like they could come alive at any moment.

Baobab Trees, Madagascar

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Madagascar’s baobab trees truly look like a scene from a cartoon. The trees are recognizable by their distinctive swollen stems and produce fruits that are large pods known as “monkey bread” or “cream of tartar fruit.”

Giant Sequoias, California

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It’s hard to comprehend the magnitude of the immense size of these massive, giant sequoias until you get to see them up-close and in person. All naturally occurring groves of giant sequoias are located in moist, unglaciated ridges and valleys of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California, in places like Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. General Sherman, at 274.9 feet, is the tallest of them all. It is estimated to be between 2,300–2,700 years old.

Rainbow Eucalyptus, Kauai, Hawaii

Photo Credit: whenonearth.net

Nature’s color-happy artist uses the bark of the rainbow eucalyptus tree as its canvas. It’s hard to believe this tree is real, but it can be found on the island of Kauai and other very humid spots on earth.