Alex Hyde / African moon moth (Argema mimosae) digital composite sequence, showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon, photographed against a white background, orginating from Africa. Captive.

Thomas Rabeil / Malpolon / False Cobra (Malpolon moilensis) expanding its hood in a defensive display. Termit Massif, Niger, Africa.

Nigel Cattlin / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedling with cotyledons expanding, above and below ground. Sequence 5/5.

Nigel Cattlin / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedling with cotyledons expanding, pericarp still attached to leaf. Above and below ground. Sequence 4/5.

Nigel Cattlin / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedling with cotyledons expanding, leaves still trapped by pericarp. Above and below ground. Sequence 3/5.

Nigel Cattlin / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedling with expanding cotyledons. Sequence 3/3.

Nigel Cattlin / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedling with expanding cotyledons, pericarp retained on leaf. Sequence 2/3.

Nigel Cattlin / Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedling with cotyledons expanding following germination.

John Cancalosi / Male American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) displaying, showing vocal sacs expanding, Maryland, USA, April.

Ashley Cooper / Expansion work at Oslo Airport, Norway. July 2013

Ashley Cooper / Triple glazed windows in old farmhouse refurbished to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, UK, April 2012.

Joao Burini / Recently hatched saturniid moth (Othorene cadmus) with wings expanding, Parque da Onca Parda Private Reserve, Sao Paulo, Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Brazil.

Kim Taylor / Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) expanding wings after emerging from pupa. Surrey, England, July. Sequence 7 of 8.

Kim Taylor / Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) expanding wings after emerging from pupa. Surrey, England, July. Sequence 6 of 8.

Tony Wu / Nudibranch (Melibe pilosa) expanding and extending its semi-transparent oral hood to scoop up rubble and sift through it for food. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Charlie Summers / Air bubbles bloat the expanding top of the Strokkur Geyser just before it erupts. This geyser erupts every 4 to 8 minutes. Iceland, May 2014.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Two-tailed Pasha butterfly (Charaxes jasius) expanding wings after emerging, Podere Montecucco. Orvieot, Umbria, Italy August. Sequence 9 of 9

John Cancalosi / Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) butterfly after emerging from crysalis with wings still expanding. Sequence 8 of 9. Costa Rica.

John Cancalosi / Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) butterfly after emerging from crysalis with wings still expanding. Sequence 7 of 9. Costa Rica.

John Cancalosi / Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) butterfly after emerging from chrysalis, wings still expanding. Sequence 6 of 9. Costa Rica.

Alex Mustard / A wunderpus octopus (Wunderpus photogenicus) hunting by expanding its arms into a net to capture prey. Java sea, Amed, Bali, Indonesia.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 7 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 8 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 9 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 10 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Digital composite sequence

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 1 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 2 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 3 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 4 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 5 of 10.

Alex Hyde / Bullseye Moth (Automeris io) showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon. Captive, originating from North and Central America. Sequence 6 of 10.

Thomas Rabeil / Malpolon / False Cobra (Malpolon moilensis) expanding its hood in a defensive display. Termit Massif, Niger, Africa.

Doug Perrine / Throat pleats of a Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei / edeni) expanding as it engulfs part of a school of Sardines, off Baja California, Mexico (Eastern Pacific Ocean)

Adrian Davies / Lyme Disease rash on human skin, serious bacterial disease indicated by outwardly expanding rash (erythema migrans) on human leg caused by bacteria carried by Sheep Tick (Ixodes ricinus) UK

Alex Hyde / Damage caused to mountainside by expanding skiing industry, showing digger and distant chair lift pylons. Austrian Alps. June 2007

Robert Valentic / Spotted black snake {Pseudechis guttatus} male inflating its body and expanding its hood in threat display, Queensland, Australia

Robert Valentic / Spotted black snake {Pseudechis guttatus} male inflating its body and expanding its hood in threat display, Queensland, Australia

Jeff Vanuga / Rapid housing growth expanding in Colorado Springs with Pikes peak in background. 2004.

Piotr Naskrecki / Painted Reed Frog (Hyperolius marmoratus) changing color from darkly patterned to white by contracting or expanding skin cells called chromatophores, white skin reflects sunlight effectively lowering...

Tui De Roy / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) enormous and expanding nesting colony on sea stacks and cliffs, Hermaness, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom

Tui De Roy / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) enormous and expanding nesting colony on sea stacks and cliffs, Hermaness, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom

Tui De Roy / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) enormous and expanding nesting colony on sea stacks and cliffs, Hermaness, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom

Tui De Roy / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) enormous and expanding nesting colony on sea stacks and cliffs, Hermaness, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom

Tui De Roy / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) enormous and expanding nesting colony on sea stacks and cliffs, Hermaness, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom

Kim Taylor / Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) expanding wings after hatching. UK. captiv

Konrad Wothe / White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) expanding wings, North America

Tui De Roy / Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) road-kill victim due to traffic in expanding agricultural development in dry Cerrado grassland habitat, Brazil

Nigel Cattlin / Section through a leaf and flower bud on an pear twig in late winter beginning to swell and starting to open Berkshire, England, UK.

Nigel Cattlin / Section through a leaf and flower bud on an pear twig in late winter beginning to swell and starting to open Berkshire, England, UK.

Nigel Cattlin / Tight leaf and flower bud of a pear twig in late winter, beginning to swell and starting to open in early spring Berkshire, England, UK.

Nigel Cattlin / Tight leaf and flower bud of a pear twig in late winter beginning to swell and starting to open in early spring Berkshire, England, UK.

Nigel Cattlin / Tight leaf and flower bud of an Apple twig in late winter beginning to swell and starting to open Berkshire, England, UK.

Nigel Cattlin / Tight leaf and flower bud of an Apple twig in late winter beginning to swell and starting to open Berkshire, England, UK.

Nigel Cattlin / Young Alder leaves (Alnus glutinosa) on the tree in spring, Berkshire, May

Flip Nicklin / Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) gulp feeding showing expanding ventral pleats, Costa Rica

Tom Vierus / Felled trees at the edges of a local farm a community. As the community is expanding the farm, the trees are cut down to make way for growing vegetables. Kolombangara island, Western Province, Solomon...

Eric Baccega / Strokkur Geyser erupting. Air bubbles bloat the expanding top of the Geyser just before it erupts. This geyser erupts every 4 to 8 minutes. Geysir, Selfoss, Iceland. September, 2023.

Eric Baccega / Strokkur Geyser erupting. Air bubbles bloat the expanding top of the Geyser just before it erupts. This geyser erupts every 4 to 8 minutes. Geysir, Selfoss, Iceland. September, 2023.

Eric Baccega / Strokkur Geyser erupting. Air bubbles bloat the expanding top of the Geyser just before it erupts. This geyser erupts every 4 to 8 minutes. Geysir, Selfoss, Iceland. September, 2023.

Alex Hyde / Cedar beetle (Callirhipidae) male, expanding its delicate antennae, trying to track down the distinctive chemical signature of a female on the night air, upper Caribbean slope cloud forest, Costa Rica...

Doug Perrine / Day octopus (Octopus cyanea) hunting on coral reef, exhibiting white colouration while expanding webbing between arms to trap fleeing prey with Manybar goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) waiting clo...

Andy Sands / Yellow carnival candy slime mould (Arcyria obvelata), greatly expanding to almost six millimetre tall, with capilitum expanding. Hertfordshire, England, UK. July. Focus Stacked.

Andy Sands / Row of sporangia of Carnival candy slime mould (Arcyria denudata) with expanding capilitum about to release spores. Buckinghamshire, England, UK. October. Focus Stacked.

Roman Willi / Timelapse of a blue morpho butterfly subspecies (Morpho helenor marinita) emerging from chrysalis and expanding wings, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, December.

Alex Mustard / Nudibranch (Pteraeolidia semperi) expanding its cerata so that endosymbiotic Zooxanthellae can absorb sunlight, Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Molucca Sea.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Regenerating woodland expanding across Dava Moor, Highlands, Scotland, UK. August, 2017.

Jacob Guy / Starry cup coral (Acanthastrea echinata) timelapse expanding under UV light. Filmed in studio.

Doug Wechsler / Periodical cicada (Magicicada septendecim) expanding wings during metamorphosis, near old skin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. May 2021

Doug Wechsler / Periodical cicada (Magicicada sp.) expanding wings after metamorphosis on tree trunk, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA. May 2021

Nigel Cattlin / Glasshouse grown cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), variety 'Sweet Million', small expanding fruit on multiple trusses, Berkshire, UK, June.

Andy Sands / Slime mould (Hemitrichia clavata) sporangia, sponge like structure containing spores expanding a few minutes after splitting open. Hertfordshire, England, UK. August. Focus stacked image. Sequence 4/5...

Andy Sands / Slime mould (Hemitrichia clavata) sporangia, sponge like structure containing spores expanding. Hertfordshire, England, UK. August. Focus stacked image. Sequence 3/5.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 12/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 11/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 10/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 9/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 12/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 11/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 10/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 9/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 8/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis on Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 7/12.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Passion vine (Passiflora sp). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 9/9.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Passion vine (Passiflora sp). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 8/9.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Passion vine (Passiflora sp). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 7/9.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Passion vine (Passiflora sp). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 6/9.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Passion vine (Passiflora sp). Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 5/9.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis. Hill Country, Texas, USA.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) stem. Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 11/11.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) stem. Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 10/11.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) stem. Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 9/11.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) stem. Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 8/11.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis, on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) stem. Hill Country, Texas, USA. Sequence 7/11.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Bordered patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia) expanding wings after emerging from chrysalis. Hill Country, Texas, USA.

Sirachai Arunrugstichai / Close up photo the expanding polyps of Soft coral (Alcyonacea), which the animal uses for capturing food in the water column, Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.