Marie Read / American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) adult feeding chick, Long Island, New York, USA. June.

Georgette Douwma / Mantel of Spiny oyster (Spondylus varius). Indonesia. Indo-West Pacific.

Georgette Douwma / Cock's comb oyster (Lopha cristagalli) covered with encrusting sponge on artificial reef. Mabul, Malaysia.

Ernie Janes / Oyster Catcher (Haematopus ostralegus) in tulip (Tulipa) field, North Norfolk, May 2013

Juergen Freund / Cultured Golden South Sea pearls of the Pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) Jewelmer pearls, Philippines

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Golden south sea pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) are prepared with plastic wedges to have nuclei inserted for the creation of cultured pearls, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Newly harvested cultured Golden South Sea pearls of Oyster (Pinctada maxima) displayed, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Goldlip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) opened, with cultured Golden South Sea pearl on beach, Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Baby Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) at Jewelmer Pearlfarm, two months spats (2 mm in size) and three months (10mm in size) Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Newly harvested cultured Golden South Sea pearls of Oyster (Pinctada maxima) displayed in oyster shell on beach, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Five newly harvested cultured Golden South Sea pearls of Oyster (Pinctada maxima) displayed, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Newly harvested cultured Golden South Sea pearl of Oyster (Pinctada maxima), Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Newly harvested cultured Golden South Sea pearls of Oyster (Pinctada maxima) displayed in hand, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Newly harvested cultured Golden South Sea pearls of Oyster (Pinctada maxima) displayed in oyster shell, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Details of Thorny oyster (Spondylus varius) with "eyes" in its mantle edge near the shell, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea

Juergen Freund / Pearl held in hand at Jewelmer Pearlfarm - golden South Sea Pearl from pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Almost perfect cultured pearl extracted from Golden South Sea Pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) oyster will then be reused, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, expert technician extracts nearly perfect culutred pearl from golden South Sea Pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) oyster will then be reused, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Golden South Sea Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) laid out on trays waiting to have nucleus inserted to initiate cultured pearl growth, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Goldlip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) with golden pearl on beach, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) in hanging cage, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) in hanging cage in the open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) in hanging cages, being relocated to the open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) in hanging nets, being relocated to the open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, newly cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) hanging in nets from rafts waiting to be relocated to open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, newly cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) hanging in nets from rafts waiting to be relocated to open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm workers clean each pearl oyster regularly taking off barnacles and anything that grows on the shell, Philippines, April 2010

Billy Black / Starfish in half Oyster (Lophia folium) shell lying on bed of seaweed. Pumpkin Island, Maine, USA.

David Fleetham / Thorny Oyster shell (Spondylus varians), Komodo, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Oyster encrusted mangrove roots, split level.(Rhizophoraceae) Florida Everglades, USA

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Port Jackson Shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni), Australia

Fred Bavendam / Port Jackson Shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) pair, New South Wales, Australia

James Christensen / Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus sp) growing against a tree trunk, Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador

David Fleetham / Mantle detail on a light-sensitive Spondylus / Thorny oyster (Spondylus varians) shell, Philippines, Pacific Ocean.

Franco Banfi / Pearl farm worker inserting the spherical mother-of-pearl nucleus into the pearl-oyster, Gauguin Pearl farm, Rangiroa Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia.

Shane Gross / Oyster farm, Sooke, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. May, 2021.

Shane Gross / Discarded shells at an oyster farm, Fanny Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Shane Gross / Discarded shells at an oyster farm, Fanny Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Shane Gross / Aerial view of an oyster farm, Fanny Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. February, 2021.

Shane Gross / Aerial view of an oyster farm, Fanny Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. February, 2021.

Magnus Lundgren / Zig zag oyster (Lopha folium), close up, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Tragopogon x mirabilis, a natural hybrid between Goat's beard (Tragopogon pratensis) and Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) found in several colour forms, Umbria, Italy. May.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Tragopogon x mirabilis, a natural hybrid between Goat's beard (Tragopogon pratensis) and Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) found in several colour forms, Umbria, Italy. May.

Adrian Davies / Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) close up Surrey, UK. October.

Adrian Davies / Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) on trunk of tree, Surrey, UK. October.

Adrian Davies / Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) on trunk of Beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) Surrey, UK. October.

Guy Edwardes / Banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) roosting on Goatsbeard (Tragopogon porrifolius), Sturminster Newton, Dorset, UK, June.

Loic Poidevin / Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) in seed, Vendeen Marsh, Vendee, France, June.