FROM ICE bubbles to boiling lava, these photographs highlight the stunning shapes and patterns found in nature. The series of extraordinary images were taken by German software engineer Thorsten Scheuermann after he decided to examine his surroundings. A trip to the city of Kalapana in Hawaii, home to the Kilauea Volcano, provided Thorsten with the setting for his lava picture, while a visit to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon offered him the opportunity to photograph ice bubbles up-close. The 37-year-old, now of Washington, USA, said: 'These are sights that can gain greater significance and have their beauty exposed when excluding everything else around them.'
CCTV shows a dark figure dumping the dog- A pet dog suffering with cancer has been put down after being dumped at an animal rescue in what officials said is the worst abandonment of any animal they have witnessed .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
PERCHED on a branch, these two frogs hold hands as they look into the camera .
THEIR gnarling teeth at the ready, these two baboons fight it out for the last piece of fruit .
UNDERWATER and above-water seaside shots show the best of British beach-life .
LEAF-ing much to the imagination, this camera trickery is blooming marvellous .
These photographs of extreme weather capture storms furiously rolling across the sky above America .
A BROWN bear wades through waters in Alaska and waits for his lunch .
HUDDLING under a leaf, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls take shelter from the rain .
SAT with his arms folded and a cross look on his face, this Gorilla looks like he's had enough of the Christmas holidays already .