Published on: 6/28/2014IST

Anuj Tiwari Last updated on: 6/28/2014, Permalink

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Russian photographer Maria Ionova-Gribina’s unique but morbid Natura Morta project lets us look into the saddest part of nature’s cycle – death. In these beautiful photographs, the animals look like they’re sleeping peacefully, with birds dreaming of flight and rabbits of running. The photographer reveals how this idea of honoring dead animals came to her:

“When me and my brother found a dead mole, bird or bug we buried them on the border of a forest. And we decorated the grave with flowers and stones.” She decided to continue the tradition while also taking beautiful photographs of animals that died naturally or after accidents with cars. The flowers used in these photos were gathered near the animals and in the photographer’s  garden.