Though it’s not everyone’s idea of a great past-time, there are plenty of people who play games online as a way of relaxing and temporarily escaping the daily grind. One type of popular game focuses on finding hidden objects, where players need to quickly find various items in different settings. But we can play a similar game with Mother Nature when we go outdoors and then get some good exercise while we’re at it.

Hidden objects can be seen in Mother Nature’s (or Gaia’s, if you prefer that name) creations of all kinds. Some are fairly obvious, while others require using a bit of imagination, but once you get going, it can be a lot of fun.

Finding faces in tree trunks, fungi and rocks is one variant of the game.

Another focus can be discovering figures in plants and rock formations. The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantean) lends itself particularly well to this in my opinion. This cactus species can grow to heights of more than 20 meters (~70 ft) and live as long as 150 years. Woodpecker nest holes in trees and cacti definitely help create “face” looks.

Plants can also mimic animals.

Clouds can often elicit imaginative responses and I’ve seen some really interesting formations over the years, but I lost those photos when my laptop and external hard drive both crashed within a short time. But —  fortunately  — the game can always continue since Mother Nature continues to create surprises for us to discover.

What do you see in this photo of the crested saguaro (and some of the others)?