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.'
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
This frozen lighthouse in Michigan could easily be mistaken for a still from the snow swept disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow .
THIS incredible shimmer of silver fish mirrors the image of that of an underwater tornado .
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .
SITTING on a burning sofa unable to move, one man turns his terrifying dreams into reality .
CAMPED out in the middle of a forest, these unusual hut hotels take you back to basics .
A BLIND man was battered with a brick in a sickening attack by two thugs .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .
A TAXIDERMY truck spotted in America’s Deep South could be the most gruesome wagon on the road .