Decay Collection (page 46)

Dry rot fungus. Dry rot, unlike its name suggests, infects damp timber. The term refers to the growth of either of two fungi

Gas gangrene bacteria, SEM
Gas gangrene bacteria (Clostridium perfringens), coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). These rod-shaped bacteria are pathogenic

Five day growth of bread mould

Rotting apples in an orchard

White bread mould, SEM
White bread mould. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the fruiting bodies of two types of mould growing on white bread. The moulds are Penicillium sp. and Mucor mucedo

Mouldy apple. Food turns mouldy when contaminated by a fungus. Microscopic fungal spores have landed on this apple, forming a fungal body

Mouldy bread roll. Mould fungus (Penicillium sp.) on a bread roll. The white areas are mycelia, a mass of thread-like structures (hyphae) which absorb nutrients

Mouldy raspberry. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of mould (green) growing on a raspberry (Rubus idaeus). Magnification unknown

Mouldy pepper. Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) on a red pepper (Capsicum sp.)

Orange covered with greenish mould

Decaying leaves for compost. Decaying oak leaves (Quercus robur) in a wire container. Once these leaves have decayed, they can be used as a compost known as leaf mould

Failed sea defences, Norfolk
Failed sea defences in front of an eroded coastline. Photographed in Happisburgh, Norfolk, UK. This area of the English coastline is particularly prone to erosion by the sea

Arizona: Chinle, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, First Ruin, Anasazi ruins in sandstone cliff with streaks of desert varnish above Chinle Wash at sunrise, October

Vintage Oldsmobile car in decay with vines growing in and around it

The Magpie
ROG-12822 The Magpie fungus Coprinus picaceus Bob Gibbons Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Stinkhorn fungus, young stage. New Forest
ROG-12843 Stinkhorn fungus, young stage New Forest. UK Phallus impudicus Bob Gibbons Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

The blusher; edible fungus if well-cooked
ROG-12833 The blusher; edible fungus if well-cooked. Amanita rubescens Bob Gibbons Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Fly agaric. Used as a hallucinogen, and as a fly-killer
ROG-12845 Fly agaric. Langley Wood, Wilts, UK Amanita muscaria Used as a hallucinogen, and as a fly-killer Bob Gibbons Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Panther cap fungus
ROG-12836 Panther cap fungus Amanita pantherina Bob Gibbons Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Sulphur tuft fungi on wood
ROG-12831 Sulphur tuft fungi on wood Hypholoma fasciculare Bob Gibbons Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Death, skeleton
A wonderfully macabre grinning skeleton with a full head of hair and wearing a robe, crouches by a fire of burning human remains to warm its hands

American Indians. The Decay of a Romantic Race. The Red Indi
Chief Hollow Horn in all his old war paint. Sioux Chief, photographed in 1905, then living on a reservation

Dacrymyces stillatus - Habitat - on damp & decaying wood, all year round - not edible. Kent woods, UK - October
DAD-1817 Dacrymyces stillatus - Found on damp & decaying wood, all year round, not edible. Kent woods, UK. October Dacrymyces stillatus David C Dixon Please note that prints are for personal display

Fungi Mycena inclinata on rotting conifer stump October Knapp Wood Nature Reserve E. Sussex, UK
DAD-1687 FUNGI - Mycena inclinata on rotting conifer stump. October Knapp Wood Nature Reserve. E. Sussex, UK Mycena inclinata Found late summer to autumn

A bluebell wood near Ambleside Lake District UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Funghi growing on a tree trunk
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

A rusting iron bolt at the old Geevor tine mine in Cornwall, UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Mould growing on a lemon
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Terraced housing in the Kensington area of Liverpool UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Autumn foliage in Holehird Gardens Windermere Cumbria UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Blue Bottle Maggot Pupa on rotting meat, UK
SPH-160 BLUEBOTTLE / Blowfly MAGGOT - pupae x1 on rotting meat. UK Calliphora vomitoria Steve Hopkin Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Primeval forest with multicoloured ferns and rotting log Fulufjaellet National Park, Dalarna region, Sweden
SAS-88 Primeval forest - with multicoloured ferns and rotting log Fulufjaellet National Park, Dalarna region, Sweden Steffen & Alexandra Sailer Please note that prints are for personal display

Vineyard, Queenstown, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Pacific

Temple of Poseidon and the Mediterranean sea beyond, Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, Europe

Establishment of the Poseidoniasts, island of Delos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cyclades, Greek Islands, Greece, Europe

Basket of green apples with one rotten one

Sunrise, Lake St. Clair, Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tasmania, Australia, Pacific

Pasture at sunset, Bronte Park, Tasmania, Australia, Pacific

Lake Myrtle and Mt. Rogoona, Walls of Jerusalem National Park, Tasmania, Australia, Pacific

Bread mould (Penicillium sp. ), SEM
Bread mould. Coloured scanning electronmicrograph (SEM) of Penicillium sp. mouldgrowing on bread. The yellow fibrous structuresare hyphae, which make up the main body of thefungus

HURRICANE
DAD-492 HURRICANE Knole Park, Sevenoaks, UK David C Dixon Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Triumphal Arch / Reims
PORTE BAZEE, RHEIMS, FRANCE Roman triumphal arch in a somewhat dilapidated condition with a strut used to hold the walls apart. Much of the ornamentation has now gone

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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.