THE ENCHANTING FOREST OF FIREFLIES

WITH the phosphorescent blobs and mesmerising patterns, these spectacular images may look like the hall marks of an enchanted forest but it is in fact the scene of thousands of dancing FIREFLIES. The luminous green lights that glow from the insects help to give the impression of an extract from a fairy-tale. The magical photographs were taken by photographer Takaaki Ishikawa, 55, on a trip to Nagoya City in Japan. 'Fireflies are very delicate creatures, so it is important to not catch or disturb them,' said Takaaki

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CHRISTMAS SNOWMAN ATTRACTS CURIOUS SQUIRREL

Peering curiously into a basket hanging off the arms of a snowman, this little squirrel appears fascinated by the snowy figure .

FREE RIDE

A CHEEKY snail fancies his chances at getting a free ride on a sunny afternoon .

GLOWWORMS LIGHT UP TOURIST TRAIL

IN a galaxy not so far away lies a magical display of lights that could be the latest image from NASA .

BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS BROUGHT TO LIFE

BREATHING life back into old photographs, these black and white images are transformed by colour .

CLIMBERS TACKLE 200FT TOTEM POLE

TOWERING 65 metres into the sky, this terrifying accent is a dream for climbers .

OUT OF THIS WORLD PLANET CAKES

Complete with core, mantle and crust, these incredible planet cakes are truly out of this world .

OUT-STANDING FIREFIGHTER BREAKS ENDURANCE WORLD RECORD

A US firefighter has battled osteoarthritis and four hip replacements to break the world paddleboarding record .

MESMERISING FIELD PATTERNS

FULL OF STUNNING colours and swirling shapes, the furrows on these fields create a mix of mesmerising patterns .

MOUNT BROMO METEOR SHOWER

A SPECTACULAR array of stars fills the night sky as they soar over this active volcano .

SURPRISED SQUIRREL

OPEN mouthed and wide eyed this little squirrel appears startled .

A POOL WITH A VIEW

The view from this rooftop pool is sure to make most holidaymakers envious .

CHERNOBYL - 28 YEARS ON

TOMORROW (Saturday) marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated .