Decay Collection (#44)

Orange Peel Fungus - Cornwall - UK
DAC-285 Orange Peel Fungus Cornwall - UK Aleuria aurantia David Chapman contact details: prints@ardea.com tel: +44 (0) 20 8318 1401

Many Zoned Polypore
DAC-31 Many Zoned Polypore Treametes versicolor David Chapman contact details: prints@ardea.com tel: +44 (0) 20 8318 1401

USA, California, Bodie State Historic Park, Ghost town building reflected in window of abandoned structure

USA, New York, New York City, Marble angel statue atop family grave in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn

Typical Spanish colonial architecture near the Plaza de Armas, Cuzco, Urubamba Valley, Peru

Panama. A veiw of the ancient colonial ruins from the bell tower in Panama city

Panama, Panama city colonial ruins

Guatemala, Antigua. Peeling paint and doorway Antigua, Guatemala

Oman, The Batinah Plain, Rustaq. Old Fort Ruins along Highway #13

Mozambique, Maputo. Details of abandoned and decaying colonial era house in city center

Mozambique, Maputo. Architectural details of clock inside colonial era C. F. M. Railway
Mozambique, Maputo. Architectural details of clock inside colonial era C.F.M. Railway Station

Africa, Mozambique
Mozambique, Maputo. Architectural details of bell and clock inside colonial era C.F.M. Railway Station

Grannys bonnets (gregarious elf caps ) (clustered bonnet) fungi (Mycena inclinata) growing from rotten treestump, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Italy - Brescia - Capitoline Temple of Vespasian
Italy - Brescia - the Capitoline Temple, or the Capitolium, which was built by Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasian c. 73 A.D. Date: circa 1910s

Moss growing on fallen tree trunk in woodland, Vicarage Plantation, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England, november

Fungi, toadstool fruiting bodies, growing on rotting tree stump in woodland habitat, Whitewell, Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, september

View of rough pasture habitat with rushes and decaying tree stump, Roydon, Upper Waveney Valley, Norfolk, England, june

Fallen and decaying tree trunk in woodland, with moss and fallen leaves, Vicarage Plantation, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England, november

Log with fallen leaves in ancient coppiced woodland habitat, Wolves Wood RSPB Reserve, Hadleigh, Suffolk, England, november

Skin of dermestid beetle larva, SEM
Dermestid beetle (Dermestes sp.) empty pupal case, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). This beetle is studied by forensic entomologists as it feeds on extremely dry, desiccated dead bodies

Larder beetle larva head, SEM
Larder beetle (Dermestes lardarius) larva head, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). This beetle is studied by forensic entomologists as it feeds on extremely dry, desiccated dead bodies

Ham beetle larva, SEM
Ham beetle (Necrobia sp.) larva, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Forensic entomologists study this beetle because it feeds on dead bodies

Blowfly pupa hatching, SEM
Blowfly pupa hatching. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a Calliphora vicina blowfly adult emerging from its pupa

Blowfly maggot feeding, SEM
Blowfly maggot feeding. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a Calliphora vicina blowfly maggot (larva) feeding on liver tissue

Blowfly maggot pupa, SEM
Blowfly pupa on carpet. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a Calliphora vicina blowfly pupa that will hatch an adult fly. A blowfly lays its eggs on dead bodies

Blowfly head, SEM
Head of a blowfly. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a Lucilia sp. blowfly head. A female blowfly lays her eggs on dead bodies. This behaviour is studied by forensic entomologists

Dead fly on a fly swat, SEM
Dead fly. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an unidentified fly (order Diptera) that has been killed by a fly swat. Insects can help in solving crimes, an area named forensic entomology

Necrobia beetle larva, SEM
Ham beetle (Necrobia sp.) larva, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Forensic entomologists study this beetle because it feeds on dead bodies

Red-shouldered ham beetle head, SEM
Red-shouldered ham beetle (Necrobia ruficollis) head, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Forensic entomologists study this beetle because it feeds on dead bodies

Molar tooth, SEM

Composting vegetation. Compost is a mixture of decaying organic matter. It is used in gardens to improve soil structure and provide nutrients

Used and unused toothpicks, SEM
Used and unused toothpicks. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an unused (left) and a used (right) toothpicks. The used toothpick has a blunt end and is covered in dental plaque

Used toothbrush bristle, SEM
Used toothbrush bristle. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of dental plaque on a bristle from a used toothbrush. Plaque consists of a film of bacteria embedded in a glycoprotein matrix

Gum disease. Computer artwork of diseased gums and teeth. Gum disease causes inflammation and bleeding of the gums. It is the most common cause of tooth loss

Coloured SEM of a dental drill drilling into tooth
Dental drill on tooth. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a diamond-tipped dental drill (orange) drilling a hole into a tooth (blue)

Decay on molar tooth, SEM
Tooth decay. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the surface of a decaying molar tooth. The surface enamel (white) has begun to break down (for example, at lower right)

Rusting hook
Metal hook rusting

Corroded metal. Rusty door latch and padlock

Tombstone, bearing the inscription " Rest in Peace" (R.I.P.)

Tooth decay, artwork

Dental plaque, SEM
Dental plaque, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Plaque consists of a film of bacteria (red) embedded in a glycoprotein matrix

Dead fish. The fish died after their pool dried up in a drought. Photographed in Maagan Michael, Israel

Bubbles of methane from decomposing leaves under ice

Tooth decay, X-ray
Tooth decay. Coloured X-ray of a profile view of a 22-year-old patients teeth, showing a cavity (decay) in the left lower molar (light grey, centre left)

Ladybird on fungus. Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septem-punctata) climbing up the stalk of a fungal fruiting body. This is a wood-rotting fungus growing on a dead tree stump

Forest lichen and fungus. Cup lichen (Cladonia sp. left) and wolfs udder fungus (Lycogala epidendrum, right), growing on a dead Scots pine tree stump (Pinus sylvestris)

Sperm whale tooth. Single tooth in the lower jaw of a dead sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). A sperm whales teeth, also known as whale ivory, only develop in its lower jaw

Petrified Tree trunk, Libya
Petrified wood (from Greek root petro meaning " rock" or " stone" ; literally " wood turned into stone" ) in the Libyan desert

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"Decay: A Haunting Journey Through Time and Nature's Erosion" Step into the world of decay, where the echoes of time whisper through forgotten realms. From Hogarth's Gin Lane to the delicate dance between Blossom and Decay, this captivating concept reveals the fragility of existence. Like a Higgs boson in conceptual artwork, decay permeates every corner of our universe, and is as ancient as the Tablet of Shamash, dating back to the 9th century BC when even the sun-god witnessed its relentless grip on life. In Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Noughts (1985), decay becomes an artistic muse, transforming driftwood on La Push beach into melancholic poetry along Washington State's Pacific Northwest coast. Nature too succumbs to its inevitable fate; Coral Spot Fungus finds solace in Sycamore twigs amidst Powys' Welsh landscape. Palace ruins at Minoan archaeological sites stand testament to civilizations long lost but not forgotten. Even modern marvels bear witness to decay's touch; an aerial view captures both beauty and deterioration as it gazes upon Belvedere Hotel and Furka Pass road - immortalized by James Bond in Goldfinger - nestled within Switzerland's majestic Swiss Alps. Yet perhaps no image strikes closer than that polarised LM photograph revealing tooth decay. Within its microscopic realm lies a reminder that even our own bodies are subject to nature’s unyielding forces. And finally, an old abandoned shack by Mersey stands stoically against time itself. Its decaying walls tell stories untold, reminding us that all things must eventually return from whence they came. In these glimpses into worlds touched by decay – be it art or nature – we find both sorrow and wonder. For within each moment captured lies a profound lesson about impermanence and the cyclical nature of existence itself.