Spectacular wonders, part one

Natural or man-made? Before reading, sort wonders into natural and man-made. Then think about 'nature's power': cyclones, earthquakes, floods, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes.

India has some of the most mystifying (hard to explain) natural sights in the world. The text describes seven. Here are the first three.

1. The Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand. An eye-catching spectacle with around 600 species of exotic (unusual, rare) flowers: orchids, poppies, primulas, marigolds, daisies, anemones. The trek passes waterfalls and wild streams.

It is also home to rare animals: the grey langur, flying squirrel, red fox, lime butterfly and snow leopard.

It lies in Chamoli district, against the Himalayas, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It becomes a botanical (plant) wonderland between May and October.

2. The Living Root Bridges, Meghalaya. Imagine a bridge with no cement, stone or concrete. These bridges are amazing feats (hard things done with great skill) of engineering by the indigenous (local, native) people, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Why? In the monsoon, crossing Meghalaya's many streams was dangerous. Bamboo and wooden bridges proved futile (useless): they could not last in the heavy rain and strong water.

So the local people grew bridges from intertwined (twisted together) living roots. A root bridge is a natural ecosystem of local plants. Under ideal conditions it can persist (last) for hundreds of years. A wooden bridge rots; a living one grows stronger.

They often rise 50 to 100 feet in the air. The longest is a whopping (huge) 175 feet. About 100 are known, in different villages. They show the local people's deep knowledge of their land.

3. The Lonar Crater Lake, Maharashtra. In the town of Lonar, Buldhana district, is a giant hole made when a colossal (huge) meteorite crashed into the Earth at great speed, thousands of years ago.

What makes it special:

• it is the only crater in India formed in basalt rock by a meteorite;
• it is the third largest of its kind in the world;
• its perfectly circular hollow cradles (holds) a salty lake at its centre.

A rare meeting of something from the sky and the beauty of the Earth.