Alex Mustard / Grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) at night with polyps extended to feed, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies. Caribbean Sea.

Nick Garbutt / Aggregation / bloom / swarm of Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) in the clear waters of Loch Na Keal, off the Isle of Mull, north west Scotland, UK, June, Photographed through the surface.

Floris van Breugel / Sand dunes reflecting pink and orange glowing colours from the sky at sunset. Death Valley National Park, California, USA. November 2009. Highly Commended in the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photoga...

Gavin Hellier / Looking up at canopy of tropical rainforest, Malaysia, 2008

Gavin Hellier / Volcanic tufa rock formations, Uchisar, Cappadocia, Anatolia, Turkey, 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Detail of melting ice on Jokulsarlon beach. Southern Iceland, Europe, November 2012.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Broken ice abstract, Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Southern Iceland, Iceland, Europe, March 2011.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Detail in frozen waterfall. Selijalandfoss waterfall, Southern Iceland, Europe, March 2011.

Denis-Huot / Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) male and female (back). Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.

Ross Hoddinott / Marbled White butterfly (Melanargia galathea) resting on grass, Dunsdon Nature Reserve, Devon, UK. July

Nuno Sa / Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) passing by baitball, Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal, September 2008.

Doc White / Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female. Tonga, South Pacific, September.

Alex Hyde / Aposematism describes the use of bright colouration and bold patterns to advertise that an organism is unpalatable or dangerous. All three insects are foul-tasting or toxic if eaten: Wood Tiger moth...

Alex Hyde / Burnet Moth (Zygaena carniolica), photographed on a white background. Aosta Valley, Pennine Alps, Italy. July.

Alex Hyde / Wood Tiger moth (Parasemia plantaginis) photographed on a white background. Aosta Valley, Monte Rosa Massif, Pennine Alps, Italy. July.

Alex Hyde / Magpie Moth caterpillar (Abraxas grossulariata) showing warning colouration, photographed on a white background. Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. June.

XI ZHINONG / Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) male, Kekexili, Qinghai, Tibetan Plateau, China, November

Jack Dykinga / Bark patterns of Aspen tree (Populus tremula) in front of a Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trunk, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, USA

Bert Willaert / Juvenile male Caucasus viper (Daboia raddei / Vipera kaznakovi), Georgia, September.

Christophe Courteau / West African giraffe {Giraffe camelopardis peralta} skin detail.

Claudio Contreras / Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) hibernating, Mariposa Monarca Special Biosphere Reserve, central Mexico, January.

Claudio Contreras / Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) hibernating, Mariposa Monarca Special Biosphere Reserve, central Mexico, January.

Peter Cairns / Reflections in glacial fjord, Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway

Jack Dykinga / Matkatamiba Canyon with its Muave limestone scoured by erosion. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. May 2012.

Jack Dykinga / Star trails in sky over Alabama Hills, BLM eroded granite formation know as Mobius Arch. Eastern Sierra, California. May 2012.

Jack Dykinga / Shore Acres State Park with sandstone bluffs being pounded by tidal shifting surf, creating waterfalls over concretions in the stone. Oregon

Erlend Haarberg / Abstract patterns of mud by the river Jokulsa a Fjollum, Iceland, August 2010

Graham Eaton / Dendritic drainage of the land at the end of the rainy season, a view from the air. Northern Kenya, Africa, November.

Chris Mattison / Amazon milk frog (Phrynohyas resinifictrix), captive, occurs South America

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view over subtropical mangrove wetlands of the Everglades National Park. Florida, USA, February 2012.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view over subtropical mangrove wetlands of the Everglades National Park. Florida, USA, February 2012.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view over subtropical mangrove wetlands of the Everglades National Park. Florida, USA, February 2012.

Andy Sands / Small emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) male with wings open showing eyespots on Blackthorn, Captive, UK, April

Andy Sands / Small emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) male (bottom) and female with wings open showing eyespots on lichen covered twig, Captive, UK, April

Andy Sands / Small emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) male below female both displaying eyespots on Gorse, Captive, UK, April

Philippe Clement / Vapour trails from aircrafts among clouds in a blue sky, France

Sandra Bartocha / Sea shells in sand, North sea, Germany, September

Sandra Bartocha / Field of ripe barley with green barley growing in vehicle tracks (Hordeum vulgare) Germany, July

Ross Hoddinott / Fungus (Mycena sp.) gills backlit, seen from low angle. Dartmoor, Devon, UK. 'Wild Woods' category, British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) competition 2012.

Solvin Zankl / Spines of sea urchins from sand sample from Raja Ampat, Indonesia, the wide range of colours of these animals become visible. Diagonal of frame approx. 5 mm Digital focus stacking image

Solvin Zankl / Different Snowflakes showing range in size and pattern, magnified under microscope, from Lilehammer, Norway. Digital composite

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Solvin Zankl / Snowflake magnified under microscope, Lilehammer, Norway

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / John dory (Zeus faber), Porthkerris Cove, Cornwall, England, UK, June

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Tompot blenny (Parablennius gattorugine), Swanage, Dorset, England, UK, May

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Male Black faced blenny (Tripterygion delaisi), part of a sequence showing colour change, Swanage, Dorset, England, UK, May. 2/4

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Receding wave shot with long exposure. Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK, October 2011.

Andy Rouse / 2020VISION / Redshank (Tringa totanus) foraging on tidal flats. Liverpool Bay, UK, December.

Michael D. Kern / South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus cumanensis) captive, from Venezuela and Colombia

Michael D. Kern / Sri Lankan Bamboo Pitviper (Trimeresurus trigonocephalus) captive, from Sri Lanka

Andy Rouse / Manta ray (Manta birostris) swimming on ocean floor Coral Bay, Australia

Alex Hyde / Oleander Hawkmoth (Daphnis nerii) female, against white background. Captive insect, a rare but fairly regular immigrant to the UK.

Alex Hyde / Various rockpool animals and seaweeds, photographed on a white background. Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland, UK, March. Digital composite.

Jack Dykinga / Hectia, a tropical bromeliad, stress coloured with blades grown in interlocking patterns, in the state of Yucatan, Mexico

Jack Dykinga / Twisted and emerging limbs of Saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea) Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona, USA

Jack Dykinga / Colorado River Delta, with watercourse sculpted patterns eroded into the salt / silt flats near the Sea of Cortez, La Reserva del Golfo, Baja, Mexico

Jack Dykinga / Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Park with severe storm clouds at sunset amid vast grassland, South Dakota, USA

Jean E. Roche / Aerial view of rows of cultivated Roses, horitculture, Bellegarde, Camargue, Southern France, June 2009

Jean E. Roche / Arial view of coloured salt pans, colour is determined by the concentration of various elements, Salins de Giraud, Camargue, Southern France

Jean E. Roche / Aerial view of old basins used for concentrating magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) in the salt pans at Salin de Giraud, Camargue, Southern France

Jean E. Roche / Aerial view of intensive flower production, Arles, Camargue, southern France, May 2009

Jean E. Roche / Flock of Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) sleeping in water, Camargue, Southern France, September 2008

Jean E. Roche / Flock of Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) in flight, Camargue, Southern France, November 2006

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial image showing sandbanks and islands in the Bahamas archipelago, Caribbean, February 2012

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view saltmarshes of Bahia de Cadiz Natural Park, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, March 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of sandbanks off an island of the Bahamas archipelago, Caribbean, February 2012

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of patterns created by agricultural work on land, Los Monegros, Zaragoza Province, Aragon, Spain, July 2011

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial image showing sandbanks in the Bahamas archipelago, Caribbean, February 2012

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view river tributaries and saltmarshes of Bahia de Cadiz Natural Park, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, March 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of salt pans coloured red by cyanobacteria, Lake Natron, Rift Valley, Tanzania, August 2009

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of patterns created by agricultural work on land, Los Monegros, Zaragoza Province, Aragon, Spain, July 2011

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, February 2012

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, February 2012

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of flock of Flamingos flying over the salt lake, Lake Natron, Rift Valley, Tanzania, August 2009

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view dry river bed in the Namib desert, Sossusvlei, Sesriem, Namibia, August 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of sun reflected on the Odiel marshes, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, March 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of flock of Flamingos flying over the salt lake, Lake Natron, Rift Valley, Tanzania, August 2009

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view of sun reflected on the Odiel marshes, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, March 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / O. Haar / Litlanesfoss waterfall, Hengifossá river, basalt lava solidified in hexagonal columns, Iceland, August 2008.

Wild Wonders of Europe / O. Haarberg / Litlanesfoss waterfall, Hengifoss river, Basalt lava solidified in hexagonal columns, Iceland, August 2008 - EMBARGOED UNTIL AUGUST 2012

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Remnant saltmarsh and coastal realignment at Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, March 2012. Did you know? 24% of the English coastline is saltmarsh.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012. Did you know? Salt marshes are a great natural defence against sea level rise.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Saltmarsh and reclaimed agricultural land from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, March 2012.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Water channels making patterns in saltmarsh, seen from the air. Abbotts Hall Farm, Essex, UK, April 2012.