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.

Claudio Contreras / Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) flowers at twilight, Laredo Borderlands, Texas, USA. April

Solvin Zankl / Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis) close up of tentacles, Sargasso Sea, Bermuda

Alex Hyde / Chlorophyte or green alga (Volvox aureus) in pond water. UK. The larger spheres are approximately 0.5mm in diameter. Digital composite image.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Giant lobelia (Lobelia rhynchopetalum) flower spikes in mist, Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mountains National Park. Ethiopia, November 2014

Krista Schlyer / Yellow pitcher (Sarracenia flava) plants in bog, growing in fire-maintained landscape, Conecuh National Forest, Alabama, USA. May 2014.

Alex Hyde / Long exposure of light trail from bioluminescent click beetle (Pyrophorus sp) walking on ground at night. Danum Valley Sabah, Borneo.

Alex Hyde / Cup fungi (Cookeina sp) growing on decaying log in lowland dipterocarp forest. Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo.

Chris Mattison / Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) seedhead, focus stacked image.

Sandra Bartocha / Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees in snowy woodland in evening sunlight, Potsdam, Germany, January.

Sandra Bartocha / Silver birch (Betula pendula) with Heather (Calluna vulgaris) in full bloom, Reicherskreuzer Heide, Nature Reserve Schlaubetal, Germany, August.

Pal Hermansen / Snow falling in Bastnas car graveyard Varmland, Sweden, December. Winner of the Portfolio category in the Melvita Nature Images Awards competition 2014.

Bence Mate / Grey herons (Ardea cinerea) standing in water a dawn, Puszaszer, Hungary, July.

Olga Kamenskaya / Ice stalagmites / ice spikes formation, Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia, March.

Alex Mustard,Alex Mustard / A blue light fluorescence photo of Jewel anemones (Corynactis viridis). The blue light source excites the fluorescent pigments in the anemones, which emit light of other colours. The muddy seabed and...

Ernie Janes / Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) in tulip field, Norfolk

Theo Bosboom,Theo Bosboom / Lily pads (Nymphaceae) with the reflections of pine trees, with water reflections, Tresticklan National Park, Southwest Sweden, September

Robin Chittenden,Robin Chittenden / Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) Norwich, Norfolk, UK, March

Niall Benvie,Niall Benvie / Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) flower head against white background. Scotland, UK, August.

Sandra Bartocha / European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) woodland in the mist, Serrahn, Muritz National Park, Germany, World Natural Heritage Site, November

Sandra Bartocha / European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest, Naturpark Feldberger Seenlandschaft / Feldberger lake district nature park, Germany, November

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

Sandra Bartocha / Ghost wood - European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), woodland Nienhagen, Germany, April

Sandra Bartocha / Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) in Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, March

Sandra Bartocha / Forest view of trunks of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Downy European white birch (Betula pubescens) and European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees, Muritz National Park, Germany, November

Konstantin Mikhailov / Western red cedar tree (Thuja plicata) trunks with moss and fungi, inland temperate rainforest of Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, Western North America, January.

Sue Flood / Bamboo forest, Shikoku Mura open air museum, Takamatsu, Shikoku Island, Japan, May

Konrad Wothe / Fan Palms (Licuala ramsayi) in rainforest, Daintree National Park, North Queensland, Australia, October

Kirkendall-Spring / Rows of pine trees in Pine forest plantation along Highway 203, Applin County, Georgia, USA, November 2008

Grzegorz Lesniewski / Pine (Pinus silvestris) forest lit by dawn light. Masuria, Poland, May.

Bence Mate / Leaf cutter ants (Atta sp) female worker ants carry pieces of fern leaves to nest, reflected in water, Costa Rica, December. Winner, Eric Hosking award, 2011 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competit...

David Maitland / Long-headed Poppy (Papaver dubium) flowers and seedheads against sky, growing on wasteland next to car-park, Calne, Wiltshire, UK, June. SPECIALLY COMMENDED, In Praise of Plants category, WILDLIFE PH...

Philippe Clement / Colourful water-smoothed pebbles on shingle beach. Normandy, France, October 2010.

Orsolya Haarberg / Hay meadow, Danube-Drava National Park, Hungary.

Colin Varndell / Beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) in West Woods, Wiltshire, UK, November 2010

Oriol Alamany / Lenga forest (Nothofagus pumilio) in Ascensio river valley on the W Trek, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, January 2006

Adrian Davies / Insect hotel / Artificial nest holes and shelter for insects and invertebrates, in garden, England, UK, August 2010

Alex Hyde / Panther Chameleon {Furcifer pardalis} close-up of skin, green colouration. Masoala Peninsula National Park, north east Madagascar.

Alex Hyde / Boabab trees {Adansonia grandidieri} silhouetted at sunset. Morondava, Madagascar, October 2009

Alex Hyde / Close-up of the extendable silk net of the Ogre faced / Net-casting spider {Deinopis sp}, Masoala Peninsula National Park, north east Madagascar.

Alex Hyde / Boabab trees {Adansonia grandidieri} in evening light. Morondava, Madagascar. Digital Composite Panorama.

Guy Edwardes / Beads of water trapped on vibrant green moss Landmannalaugar, Southern Iceland, July 2009.

Mary McDonald / Flock of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) in roosting trees at dusk, Imba Ndutu, Serengeti NP, Tanzania, East Africa.

Nick Garbutt / Ox cart and Grandidier's Baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) Near Morondava, western Madagascar.

Nick Garbutt / Grandidier's Baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) at dusk. Near Morondava, western Madagascar. (digitally stitched image)

Sandra Bartocha / Gespensterwald (ghostly forest) - European Beech forest (Fagus sylvatica), Nienhagen, Germany.

Sandra Bartocha / Gespensterwald (ghostly forest) - European Beech forest (Fagus sylvatica) in snow, Nienhagen, Germany. RUNNER-UP: Creative Visions of Nature - Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010

Neil Lucas / Stems of Giant bamboo (Cathariostachys) Rakusai Bamboo Park, Japan

Neil Lucas / Giant bamboo (Cathariostachys) forest, Kyoto, Japan, February 2008

Edwin Giesbers / Air bubbles trapped in ice, the Netherlands

Albert Lleal / Pollen of different species photographed under a microscope, Spain

Ingo Arndt / Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) eggs, fish already visible through egg-shell, Europe

Tim Fitzharris / Fallen autumn colored Aspen leaves on the ground covered in dew droplets, Colorado

Yva Momatiuk & John Eastcott / Autumn leaves changing color, Hurley, New York

Gerry Ellis / Cecropia (Cecropia sp) leaf atop lobster claw petals on tropical rainforest floor, Mexico

Gerry Ellis / Fall leaf pattern close-up, eastern hardwood forest, Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

Gerry Ellis / Fall leaf pattern close up, eastern hardwood forest, Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

Heike Odermatt / King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) feathers, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands

Paul Bertner / Stink Bug (Pentatomidae) eggs, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Adrian Davies / Orchid (Coelogyne rhabdobulbon) Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo.

Peter Cairns / Frozen lake at Arrstranda, Vestvagoya, Lofoten, Norway. February 2014.

Jan Vermeer / Sea shell arrangement

Konrad Wothe / Mushrooms on tree trunk, Panguana Nature Reserve, Peru

TJ Rich / Uncut, rough sapphires, Sri Lanka.

Alex Hyde / Toadstools (Mycena sp.) growing on decaying wood, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. October.

Pascal Kobeh / Multitudes of Moon jellyfish (Aurelia labiata), Alaska, USA, Gulf of Alaska. Pacific ocean.

Sandra Bartocha / European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest in winter, Jasmund National Park, World Natural Heritage site, Rugen, Germany, December.

Eric Medard / Pine marten (Martes martes) on woodpile, taken at night with infra-red remote camera trap, France, June.

Chien Lee / Bird's Nest Fungus (Cyathus sp), Nanga Sumpa, Batang Ai National Park, Malaysia

David Tipling / Roost of around 800 Pied Wagtails (Motacilla alba) in trees outside Terminal 5 Heathrow London UK

David Tipling / Roost of around 800 Pied Wagtails (Motacilla alba) in trees outside Terminal 5 Heathrow, London, UK. December 2013.

Floris van Breugel / White corals scattered on black lava rocks polished by the ocean and the Milky Way, southern Maui, Hawaii. July 2011.

Pal Hermansen / Stone pine (Pinus pinea) forest, near Sevilla, Spain, December

Jack Dykinga / Water lily (Nuphar variegatum) leaves, Seal Cove Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine, USA, November.

Jouan Rius / Trunks of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) Sequoia National Park, California, USA, November 2012.

Ingo Arndt / Magnetic Termite (Amitermes meridionalis) mounds in grassland, Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

Cyril Ruoso / Emerald-eyed Treefrog (Hypsiboas crepitans) eggs, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Cyril Ruoso / Nootka Lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis), an introduced species for fighting soil erosion, Iceland

Duncan Usher / Turbinate Monodont (Monodonta turbinata) shells collected from North Sea seen in ultraviolet light, Spain. Sequence 2 of 2

Duncan Usher / Turbinate Monodont (Monodonta turbinata) shells collected from North Sea, Spain. Sequence 1 of 2

Duncan Usher / St James Scallop (Pecten jacobaeus) shells seen in ultraviolet light, Donana National Park, Andalucia, Spain, Sequence 2 of 2

Duncan Usher / St James Scallop (Pecten jacobaeus) shells, Donana National Park, Andalucia, Spain. Sequence 1 of 2

Duncan Usher / Shells seen under ultraviolet light, Germany

Christian Ziegler / Seed diversity, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Hiroya Minakuchi / Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Yamanashi, Japan

Christian Ziegler / Fruit collected in the month of August, Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Sweetleaf (Symplocos sp) leaves have fallen to the ground just before the onset of the monsoon season, Thailand

Thomas Marent / Common Frog (Rana temporaria) egg spawn, Switzerland

Murray Cooper / Kapok (Ceiba sp) thorns on trunk, Ecuador

Ingo Arndt / Amu-Darya Trout (Salmo trutta trutta) eggs, Europe

Sebastian Kennerknecht / Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) field, Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, California

Silvia Reiche / Rose (Rosa sp) flower assortment, Hoogeloon, Netherlands

Albert Lleal / Pellitory (Parietaria sp) SEM close-up view of pollen grains at 1050x magnification, a well-recognized and important inhalant allergen in the Mediterranean area