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.'
SITTING on a burning sofa unable to move, one man turns his terrifying dreams into reality .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
HUDDLED together on a branch, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls soak up the sun .
NATURE PAPARAZZIS prove you don't have to be Justin Bieber or Cheryl Cole to attract a pack of photographers .
AN EXERCISING turtle and an ice-skating chick are hardly everyday exploits in the animal community .
SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .
DIPPING his head into the vase of water, this little squirrel takes a refreshing break from an afternoon of eating .
FLAUNTING its new accessory, a fashionable green dumpy tree frog poses for the camera while wearing a SNAIL as a hat .
More weather chaos is heading our way, with ice and snow already hitting areas across Birmingham .
WE’RE all familiar with the heart-wrenching pictures of dogs abandoned in animal shelters, but one photographer has found an innovative way of showcasing the pooch’s personality .
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 .
Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .