Ann & Steve Toon / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched on rush, Intaka Island, Cape Town, South Africa, February

Igor Shpilenok / Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) at the Malachite Grotto, Valley of the Geysers, Kronotsky Zapovednik, Kamchatka, Far East Russia

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo vintisioides) amongst the spray Cascade sacree / The sacred waterfall, Montagne d'Ambre National Park, North Madagascar.

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo vintisioides) Cascade sacree / The sacred waterfall, Montagne d'Ambre National Park, North Madagascar.

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo vintisioides) Cascade sacree / The sacred waterfall, Montagne d'Ambre National Park, North Madagascar.

Kim Taylor / Red-tipped Flower Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus) taking off from a Brome grass head. Surrey, UK

Richard Du Toit / Malachite sunbird {Nectarinia famosa} male feeding from flowers, South Western Cape, South Africa

Tim Fitzharris / Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perching on reeds, Kenya

Neil Aldridge / Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo christata) perched on a reed at Marievale Bird Sanctuary, Gauteng, South Africa, August

Kim Taylor / Spiny green lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus) basking on rock, Costa Rica

Ann & Steve Toon / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched on reed, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa, May.

Diane McAllister / Northwestern fence lizard / Blue bellied lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis) sunning itself on a fencepost. It is molting and will consume the shed skin for calcium and other nutrients. Palo...

Daniel Heuclin / Copper ore. Chrysocolla (blue-green), azurite (blue) and malachite (green). South Arizona, USA.

Daniel Heuclin / Copper ore. Chrysocolla (blue-green), azurite (blue) and malachite (green). South Arizona, USA.

Daniel Heuclin / Copper ore. Chrysocolla (blue-green), azurite (blue) and malachite (green). South Arizona, USA.

Daniel Heuclin / Copper ore. Chrysocolla (blue-green), azurite (blue) and malachite (green). South Arizona, USA.

Nick Upton / Common malachite / Red-tipped flower beetle (Malachius bipustulatus) preparing to take off from Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) Wiltshire, UK, May.

Alex Hyde / Madagascar Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis / Alcedo vintsioides) on perch by forest pool in dry deciduous forest, Kirindy, western Madagascar

Nick Garbutt / Madagascar Malachite Kingfishers (Alcedo / Corythornis vintsioides) on perch by forest pool in dry deciduous forest, Kirindy, western Madagascar

Anup Shah / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched on reed stem, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. March.

Anup Shah / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched on reed stem, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. March.

Anup Shah / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched on reed, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. March.

Richard Du Toit / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched, Marievale bird sanctuary, Guateng, South Africa, October

Tui De Roy / Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male feeding on Protea (Protea sp) flower, Kenya

Tui De Roy / Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) female on Protea (Protea sp) flower, Kenya

Tui De Roy / Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male on Protea (Protea sp) flower, Kenya

Tui De Roy / Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male on Protea (Protea sp) flower, Kenya

Tui De Roy / Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male on Protea (Protea sp) flower, Kenya

Claudio Contreras / Malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, northeast Mexico, November

Stephen Dalton / Malachite / Green spiny lizard (Sceloporus malatichicus) Costa Rica

Richard Du Toit / Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) male perching on protea flowers, Helderberg Nature Reserve, South Africa

Thomas Marent / Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) butterfly, Colombia

Thomas Marent / Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) butterfly, Colombia

Igor Shpilenok / Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) at the Malachite Grotto, Valley of the Geysers, Kronotsky Zapovednik, Kamchatka, Far East Russia

Igor Shpilenok / Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) at the Malachite Grotto, Valley of the Geysers, Kronotsky Zapovednik, Kamchatka, Far East Russia

Igor Shpilenok / Rainbow above the Malachite Grotto, Valley of the Geysers, Kronotsky Zapovednik, Kamchatka, Far East Russia, June 2006 (one year before the landslide which caused this cave to be flooded and disappear...

Igor Shpilenok / Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) beside the Malachite Grotto, Valley of the Geysers, Kronotsky Zapovednik, Kamchatka, Far East Russia, June 2006 (one year before the landslide which ca...

John Cancalosi / Close-up of Malachite on Chrysocolla (mineral specimen), Congo, Africa

John Cancalosi / Close-up of Malachite on Chrysocolla (mineral specimen), Congo, Africa

John Cancalosi / Malachite, close-up, Arizona, USA

John Cancalosi / Malachite on Barite, Christiane Mine, Adorf, Hessen, Germany

Nick Garbutt / Malachite Butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) forest near Napo River, Amazonia, Ecuador

Nick Garbutt / Malachite Butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) forest near Napo River, Amazonia, Ecuador

Ingo Arndt / Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) butterfly, South America

PREMAPHOTOS / Malachite spiny lizard {Sceloporus malachiticus} in cloud forest, Costa Rica

PREMAPHOTOS / The malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes meridionalis) in rainforest, Peru

John Cancalosi / Piece of rock crystal containing bands of Azurite and Malachite, from Arizona, USA

John Cancalosi / Malachite crystal from Dem Rep of Congo

Paul Hobson / Malachite Kingfisher {Alcedo cristata} perching on reed, Lake Baringo, Kenya.

E.A. KUTTAPAN / Malachite kingfisher {Alcedo cristata} Bandhavgarh NP, Madhya Pradesh, India.

JIM CLARE / Red tufted malachite sunbird {Nectarinia johnstoni} on Giant lobelia flower, Tanzania.

Steven David Miller / Close up of wing pattern of Malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes)

Pete Oxford / Malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) amazonia, Ecuador

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Yellow tufted malachite sunbird {Nectarinia famosa} female, Bontebok NP, S Africa

Pete Oxford / Malachite butterfly {Siproeta sp} South America

PREMAPHOTOS / Beetle female (Malachius bipustulatus) feeding on excitator on male's head during courtship, England

Tim Fitzharris / Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perching on reeds, Kenya

Peter Blackwell / Scarlet tufted malachite sunbird {Nectarina johnstoni} on Lobelia, Mt Kenya,

Richard Du Toit / Yellow tufted malachite sunbird {Nectarinia famosa} female. Tswalu Kalahari reserve S Africa

Richard Du Toit / Malachite kingfisher perched {Alcedo cristata} Chobe river, Chobe NP, Botswana

John Cancalosi / Yellow tufted malachite sunbird female {Nectarinia famosa} feeds on {Kniphofia linearifolia} South Africa

John Cancalosi / Yellow tufted malachite sunbird male {Nectarinia famosa} feeds on {Aloe broomii} South Africa - eclipse male

John Cancalosi / Yellow tufted malachite sunbird male {Nectarinia famosa} on Aloe flower {Aloe broomii} South Africa

Richard Du Toit / Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) greeting landing individual, Marievale Bird Sanctuary, Gauteng, South Africa

John Cancalosi / Malachite (CuCO3(OH)2), Azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, formed by weathering of copper sulfides near the surface of sulfide deposits. Sample from Morenci mine, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Azurite and Malachite, both very common secondary copper carbonate ores produced by copper sulphide weathering. Tongshankou Mine, Daye County, Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

John Cancalosi / Malachite (CuCO3(OH)2, Copper carbonate), an important ore of copper formed by weathering of copper sulphides near the surface of sulphide deposits. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa

Premaphotos / Red-tipped grass beetle (Malachius bipustulatus) feeding on grass pollen, UK

Premaphotos / Red-tipped grass beetle (Malachius bipustulatus) female (right) about to contact the male and feed on the excitators on his antennae, UK

Peter Blackwell / Scarlet tufted malachite sunbird {Nectarina j johnstoni} Mt Kenya Kenya

Keith Scholey / Red tufted malachite sunbird {Nectarina johnstoni} on Giant lobelia flower. Mt Kenya Kenya