SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Creative impression of Silver birch (Betula pendula) foliage, Creagellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.May

Guy Edwardes / Trees reflected in Loch Tummel, Perthshire, Scotland, UK. October, 2014.

Bernard Castelein / Birch tree (Betula pendula) covered in hoar frost, Groot Schietveld, Wuustwezel, Belgium, December 2007.

Sandra Bartocha / Silver birch (Betula pendula) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trunks in snow, Muritz-National Park, Germany, January.

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

Alex Mustard / Shallow coral reef flat with corals (Pocillopora damicornis, Acropora humilis and Pocillopora verrucosa) in evening light. Gordon Reef, Strait of Tiran, Sinai, Egypt. Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

Peter Cairns / 2020VISION / Silver birch (Betula pendula) woodland in autumn, Craigellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Pink sea fan / Warty coral (Eunicella verrucosa) with attached eggs of a Common squid (Loligo vulgaris), eggcase of a Lesser-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula), and Spiny starfish (Marthasterias...

Guy Edwardes / 2020VISION / Fallen Silver Birch (Betula pendula) leaves on Sphagnum Moss (Sphagnum capillifolium). Glen Etive, Scotland, UK.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / View looking up to Silver birch (Betula pendula) canopy in Spring, Craigellachie NNR, Cairngorms NP, Scotland, UK, May 2011. Did you know? Silver birches provide food and habitat for over 300 inverteb...

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Windswept Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) silhouetted against sky, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, November. Did you know? Silver birch trees can produce millions of tiny seeds every year.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Fallen Silver birch leaves (Betula sylvestris) and foam swirling in river eddy, Glen Affric, Highland, Scotland, UK, February

Peter Cairns / 2020VISION / Trunks of Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) in autumn woodland, Rothiemurchus Forest, Cairngorms NP, Highlands, Scotland, UK, October

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Silver birch (Betula pendula) with trunk covered in moss in natural woodland, Beinn Eighe NNR, Highlands, NW Scotland, UK, May

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Silver birch (Betula pendula) close-up of fresh leaves in spring, Beinn Eighe NNR, Highlands, NW Scotland, UK, May

Peter Cairns / 2020VISION / View up through canopy of Silver birches (Betula pendula) in winter, Insh Marshes, Cairngorms NP, Highlands, Scotland, UK, December. Photographer quote: "Fingers and toes might protest at -15c, but on...

Peter Cairns / Silver Birch (Betula verrucosa) reflected in Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, Scotland, December.

Peter Cairns / Silver Birch (Betula verrucosa) reflected in Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, Scotland, December.

Wild Wonders of Europe / Cairns / Boreal Silver birch (Betula verrucosa) forest, Sarek National Park, Laponia World Heritage Site, Lapland, Sweden, September 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Quinta / Crab (Eriphia verrucosa) in shallow water, Alentejo, Natural Park of South West Alentejano and Costa Vicentina, Portugal, June 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Quinta / Crab (Eriphia verrucosa) on rock, Alentejo, Natural Park of South West Alentejano and Costa Vicentina, Portugal, June 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Nudibranch (Flabellina lineata) on seaweed, Saltstraumen, Bod, Norway, October 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Nudibranch (Flabellina verrucosa) on seaweed, Saltstraumen, Bod, Norway, October 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Nudibranch (Flabellina verrucosa) on seaweed, Saltstraumen, Bod, Norway, October 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Cairns / Silver birch (Betula verrucosa) trunk in sea of Eurasian dwarf cornel (Cornus suecica) Sarek National Park, Laponia World Heritage Site, Lapland, Sweden, September 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Cairns / Bark peeling from Silver birch tree (Betula verrucosa) Sarek National Park, Laponia World Heritage Site, Lapland, Sweden, September 2008 Wild Wonders kids book.

Wild Wonders of Europe / Widstrand / Silver Birch tree (Betula verrucosa) Oulanka, Finland, September 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Widstrand / Oulanka River, Finland, September 2008. Woodland predominantly Spruce (Picea abies) and Silver Birch (Betula verrucosa)

Wild Wonders of Europe / Widstrand / Kitkajoki River, Oulanka National Park, Finland, September 2008. Woodland predominantly Spruce (Picea abies) and Silver Birch (Betula verrucosa)

Wild Wonders of Europe / Widstrand / Silver Birch trees (Betula verrucosa) Oulanka, Finland, September 2008

Niall Benvie / Detail of silver birch bark {Betula verrucosa}, May, Songli, Sr-Trndelag, Norway

Niall Benvie / Detail of silver birch bark {Betula verrucosa}, May, Songli, Sr-Trndelag, Norway

Niall Benvie / Detail of silver birch bark {Betula verrucosa}, May, Songli, Sr-Trndelag, Norway

Doug Perrine / Stonefish {Synanceja verrucosa} Maldives, Indian Ocean

Niall Benvie / Silver birch {Betula verrucosa} in winter snow cornice, Estonia.

Pete Cairns / Silver birch trees coated in hoar frost {Betula verrucosa} Strathspey, Scotland, UK

Sue Daly / Warty coral {Eunicella verrucosa} Sark, Channel Isles, UK

Bernard Castelein / Silver birch tree {Betula verrucosa} at edge of pine wood Kalmthout, Belgium

Bernard Castelein / Silver birch (Betula pendula) on misty morning. Klein Schietveld, Brasschaat, Belgium. September 2011.

Mike Read / Dunnock (Prunella modularis) singing perched in Silver birch (Betula pendula) Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Reserve, Ellingham, near Ringwood, Hampshire, E...

Pascal Kobeh / Reef stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) camouflaged in reef with Banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus). Flores Sea, Indonesia.

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Reef Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa), Great Barrier Reef, Australia

David Woodfall / Red Deer (Cervus elaphus ) in woodland clearing with Silver Birch (Betula pendula) background in Scots Pine Forest

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) in Birch woodland (Betula pendula) in late autumn, Scotland, UK, October.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Birch (Betula pendula) trees in autumn, Morrone birkwoods, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.October

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Birch (Betula pendula) trees in autumn, Morrone birkwoods, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.October

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Birch (Betula pendula) and Scot's pine (Pinus sylvestris) woodland, Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, June.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver Birches (Betula pendula) in spring, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, May.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver Birches (Betula pendula) in spring, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, May.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Birch (Betula pendula) woodland in spring, Creagellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK., May

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Creative impression of Silver birch (Betula pendula) foliage, Creagellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.May

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Creative impression of Silver birch (Betula pendula) foliage, Creagellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.May

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Creative impression of Silver birch (Betula pendula) foliage, Creagellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.May

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Creative impression of Silver birch (Betula pendula) foliage, Creagellachie NNR, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.May

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Birch woodland (Betula pendula) in autumn, Rothiemurchus Forest, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.October

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Birch (Betula pendula) woodland in mist, Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.October

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Impression of Birch tree (Betula pendula) in autumn , Scotland, UK. November.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Ancient Silver birch (Betula pendula) tree in autumn, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK. October.

Terry Whittaker / Birch trees (Betula pendula), Glen Affric, Highlands, Scotland. October 2017

Terry Whittaker / Birch trees (Betula pendula), Glen Affric, Highlands, Scotland. October 2017

Terry Whittaker / Birch (Betula pendula) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest around Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin , Glen Affric, Highlands, Scotland. October 2017

Ross Hoddinott / Silver birch (Betula pendula) and conifers creatively blurred using ICM (Intentional Camera Motion). Bolderwood, The New Forest, Hampshire, UK. November.

David Woodfall / Regeneration of a Birch (Betula pendula, B. pubescens) Forest in autumn, Alladale Wilderness Reserve, Scotland, thanks to rewilding efforts. October 2016.

Mike Read / Silver birch (Betula pendula) tree with catkins and young leaves. Wareham Forest, Dorset, England, UK. April.

Mike Read / Silver birch (Betula pendula) catkins in morning light. Wareham Forest, Dorset, England, UK. April.

Mike Read / Loch Rannoch and Birch trees (Betula pendula) Perth and Kinross Scotland March 2017

Mike Read / Loch Garry and Silver birch (Betula pendula) with Ben Tee beyond Lochaber, Highland Region, Scotland, March 2017

Matthew Maran / Volunteers clearing silver birch (Betula pendula) on Pebblebed Heaths, East Devon, England, UK, February.

Matthew Maran / Volunteers clearing silver birch (Betula pendula) on Pebblebed Heaths, East Devon, England, UK, February.

Matthew Maran / Beaver (Castor fibre) gnawed silver birch (Betula pendula) with a beaver channel dug out for transportation behind, East Devon, England, UK, February.

Laurie Campbell / Silver Birch (Betula pendula) in autumn, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, Speyside, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, October.

Andres M. Dominguez / Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) surrounded by flowering Common heather (Calluna vulgaris), Castilla y Leon, Spain, May.

Sue Daly / Gem anemones (Aulactinia verrucosa) Isle of Man, July.

Mike Read / Silver birch (Betula pendula) in early morning mist before sunrise beside, Backley Inclosure New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch (Betula pendula) trees in falling snow, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch (Betula pendula) tree backlit, with raindrops on branches, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) foraging on a Silver birch tree (Betula pendula), Scotland, UK, January.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch forest in heavy snowfall, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch forest in heavy snowfall, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch forest in heavy snowfall, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch forest in heavy snowfall, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) growing along the edge of a loch, seen through mist, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birches (Betula pendula) covered in a fresh layer of heavy snow, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, December.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Pull focus shot of Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) in autumn, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) moving in the wind, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) swaying in the breeze, with mountains in the background, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October 2014.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) swaying in the breeze, with mountains in the background, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October 2014.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Silver birch trees (Betula pendula) moving in the wind, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, October.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Juvenile Tawny owl (Strix aluco) in a Silver birch tree (Betula pendula), Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, May.

Robert Thompson / Silver birch (Betula pendula) male flower, Brackagh Moss National Nature Reserve, Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK. April 2014.

Robert Thompson / Silver birch (Betula pendula) flowers, Brackagh Moss National Nature Reserve, Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK. April 2014.

Terry Whittaker / Birch (Betula pendula) and Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris) on mountain slope, Glen Affric, Highlands, Scotland, November 2014.

Terry Whittaker / Birch (Betula pendula) and Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris) on mountain slope, Glen Affric, Highlands, Scotland, November 2014.

Terry Whittaker / Birch (Betula pendula) woodland in autumn, Glen Affric, Highlands, Scotland, November 2014.

Sue Daly / Warty coral (Eunicella verrucosa), Sark, British Channel Islands, UK, August,