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Searching for the stars near my hometown, Pollachi, led me to the forests of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. As I moved away from towns and their lights, the darker it got, the more I could see - fireflies, stars. I was fascinated when I saw hundreds of fireflies flashing at the edge of the forest and heard stories of trees laden with fireflies deep in the forest. Predicting the time of their peak activity, I set out to a remote area of the reserve along with forest officials. I waited for nightfall in anxiety. Flashes of green started appearing at twilight. As the place grew dark, millions of fireflies started synchronizing their flashes across several trees. Flashes started in one tree and continued across several trees in a mexican-wave like fashion. It lasted all night. I felt transported to another planet. Being under a sky full of stars, with fireflies flashing in the foreground, owls and other nocturnal creatures calling at a distance, Elephants and Leopards lurking around the corner, this was Nature as our ancestors experienced. The image, created by stacking several photographs, shows a 16 minute activity of the fireflies. ? Sriram Murali, India, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

See our pick of the entries for the Sony World Photography Awards

19 April 2023

From a firefly panorama to a howling coyote, these are some of the finalists and shortlisted photographs for the professional competition in the 2023 Sony awards

thermal night vision grab of starlings roosting A group of common starlings come in to roost after dark ? shown using thermal imaging cameras, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall Page 235, Wild Isles book

Stunning photographs accompany Attenborough's Wild Isles show

29 March 2023

These images from a companion book to David Attenborough's new documentary series celebrate the wildlife of Britain and Ireland

A red-eyed tree frog in its Costa Rican rainforest home

Some of the stunning winners of the Sony World Photography Awards

15 February 2023

From a sea turtle and diver swimming in harmony in Malaysia to a red-eyed tree frog in its Costa Rican rainforest home, take a peek at some of the winning entries in one of the most prestigious photography competitions

How a log pile in your garden can be a haven for wildlife

8 February 2023

Make your garden more enticing for wildlife with a few log piles, says Clare Wilson, and you may glimpse some stunning beetles

Image taken from the Extinct & Endangerd exhibition by Levon Biss, in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. The project shines a light upon insect decline and biodiversity, displaying insects that are either already extinct or under severe threat. The photographs by Levon Biss are created from up to 10,000 individual images using microscope lenses and contain microscopic levels of detail to provide the audience with a unique visual experience.

Endangered insects captured in vivid photographs

11 January 2023

Photographer Levon Biss's project Extinct and Endangered: Insects in peril combines thousands of shots of insect specimens to create these startlingly clear images

Dazzling photographs of flocking flamingos

4 January 2023

Travel and landscape photographer Raj Mohan has captured these stunning images of flamingos on Pulicat lake in Tamil Nadu, India. The birds occasionally travel there in response to changing conditions

2F26A1N Three partridges flapping wings in the snow

Join the Christmas Bird Count and contribute to conservation research

14 December 2022

There are plenty of opportunities for birdwatchers to contribute to conservation science this December and January, says Layal Liverpool

Dazzling photograph of pink-breasted galahs in Australian desert

5 October 2022

This image of a flock of galahs taking off from a tree was captured by artist and photographer Christian Spencer, while out driving in Australia's Strzelecki desert

Stunning photograph shows a flower as an insect might see it

13 April 2022

Debora Lombardi's image, shortlisted for the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards, uses a photography technique to show the fluorescence of flowers under UV light, revealing them as insects might see them