With luminous colours and alien- like features, these magical mushrooms look like they belong on another planet. These mesmorising pictures, however, capture the beautiful variety of fungi here on Earth. The incredible images were taken by Australian photographer Stephen Axford, 62, after he became familiar with the importance of fungi in everyday life, and decided to document it twelve years ago..
AN OLD ENGLISH cottage packed full of history and valuables has been left to rot .
WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow .
COVERING themselves in ash and face paint, these are the holy men who live their lives away from everyday society .
A chipmunk, with his cheeks full to bursting, has no intention of leaving with an empty stomach .
GIANT garden sculptures don't beat about the bush .
MEET the underwater British seal who is so friendly he loves to grapple divers like a friendly puppy dog .
THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING shipwrecked on a remote destination would fill most holidaymakers with dread .
LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .
SOARING through the air, this is the moment a hungry tawny owl arrives home with dinner .
An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert .
NEW DELHI, A woman activist of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party crosses a police barricade near the residence of ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi during a protest against the recent rape of a five-year-old girl in New Delhi, India, April 21, 2013 .
TRYING their best to wriggle away, three adorable tiger cubs receive their health checks at Chester Zoo .