Photo of the year..

Rainbow, Lake Champlain

Photograph by Alan Nyiri , My Shot

This image was made on the afternoon of October 20, 2011, just before sunset, near Lake Champlain in Vermont.

Silica Pond, Iceland

Photograph by David Remacle, My Shot

One of the highlights of the interior of Iceland: a hot-water pond, charged with silica, glowing in the middle of nowhere.

Iguazu Falls

Photograph by Chris Schmid, Your Shot

Aerial view of Iguazu Falls, Brazil-Argentina border

Octopus, Italy

Photograph by Pasquale Vassallo

Despite the strong human presence on the coast, an octopus is curious about snow-covered Vesuvius.

Cocooned Trees, Pakistan

Photograph by Russell Watkins

An unexpected side effect of the 2010 flooding in parts of Sindh, Pakistan, was that millions of spiders climbed up into the trees to escape the rising floodwaters; because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water took so long to recede, many trees became cocooned in spiderwebs. People in the area had never seen this phenomenon before, but they also reported that there were fewer mosquitoes than they would have expected, given the amount of standing water that was left. Not being bitten by mosquitoes was one small blessing for people that had lost everything in the floods.

Verreaux's Sifaka, Madagascar

Photograph by Robyn Gianni

Verreaux's sifaka lemur, Madagascar

Skyscrapers, Dubai

Photograph by Catalin Marin, Your Shot

Every year around the month of October, Dubai experiences heavy fog due to the still-high humidity and the falling temperatures. With all the new high-rise buildings (including the tallest in the world, Burj Khalifa) this provides a great photographic opportunity.

Tulip Farm, Tasmania

Photograph by Anthony Crehan, Your Shot

Aerial view from a helicopter of the tulip field at the Table Cape Tulip Farm on Table Cape, near Wynyard, on the North West Coast of Tasmania. It was Blooming Tulips Festival Day at Wynyard and fortunately for me and my six-year-old grandson, the helicopter operator was selling 15-minute joy-flights. On the left-hand end of the rows of tulips you can see some of the visitors to the farm's open day.

Lemon Shark, Bahamas

Photograph by Brian Skerry, National Geographic

A lemon shark pup swims among mangrove roots in the Bahamas. Throughout the more than 700 islands there are mangrove nurseries, coral reefs, and deep oceanic trenches, all perfect habitats for a wide variety of shark species.

Manatee, Florida

Photograph by Brian Skerry, National Geographic

A manatee swims in a freshwater spring in Crystal River, Florida. Manatees struggle for survival as the result of a gantlet of threats, from watercraft strikes to toxins in the water. The most serious threat, however, is the loss of warm water due to habitat loss.

Autumn Landscape, Adirondacks

Photograph by Michael Melford,National Geographic

Sunlight dapples the shoulders of Algonquin and Wright, two of the more than 40 so-called High Peaks that rise above 4,000 feet. Once blighted by logging and industry, the region has undergone a renaissance of woods and waters.

Blue-Tongued Lizard, Australia

Photograph by Kathy Parker, Your Shot

Australian blue-tongued lizards are widespread over our great country. This particular species is a "common" or "Eastern" blue-tongued lizard, found in the eastern parts of Australia. Living on a farm in the South East of South Australia, we find many of these lizards lazily crawling around our yard, especially during the warmer months. This lizard was courtesy of our hunter-gatherer cat, which is brave enough to bring all sorts of amazing creatures to our back door for inspection and approval!

Deer, Japan

Photograph by Angie Sin, Your Shot

Deer in Nara, Japan, are revered as holy messengers of God and are allowed to roam freely. They are well known for their bowing gestures for food.