From stuffed elephants to picnics under power lines, Leipzig-born photographer Frank Herfort coaxes magical, colour-saturated tableaux from intriguing slices of everyday Russian life. Here: A lonely dog watches the mailboxes in a typical Moscow residential block. (Photo by by Frank Herfort/The Guardian)

The bloodwood tree (Pterocarpus angolensis) is a deciduous tree with a high canopy, reaching about 15m in height and has dark bark. The red sap is used traditionally as a dye and in some areas mixed with animal fat to make a cosmetic for faces and bodies. It is also believed to have magical properties for the curing of problems concerning blood, apparently because of its close resemblance to blood. The name bloodwood for these trees stems from the dark red to brown sap that accumulates on wounds on the trunks.

What do you imagine when you look through a key hole? Do you imagine seeing a Wonderland with a sinister Queen of Heart ruling over a magical kingdom? Or you might imagine an eye staring back at you, if you’re a fan of horror movies. Least of all do you expect seeing a picturesque view of St. Peter’s Dome, perfectly framed by green hedges. Is it a lucky coincidence, or was it intended by the maker? We might never know. However, this became a curious sightseeing spot for many tourists who visit Rome. Thus, if you’re ever in the area of Priorato dei Cavalieri di Malta, be sure to peep into this key hole.

The US Navy Blue Angels numbers 5 and 6 fly below Sean Tucker (above) as he pilots the Oracle Challenger III over San Francisco, California as part of a practice run for Fleet Week on October 6, 2016. (Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP Photo)

A king eider sea duck tackles a prickly dinner of sea urchin on a lake in Batsfjord, Norway in the last decade of August 2024. The drake’s breeding plumage consists of a distinctive powder-blue head and neck, orange frontal lobe and a red bill. (Photo by Mia Surakka/Solent News)

Hundreds of flamingos take flight in the Rift Valley in East Africa early September 2024. The birds gather in the region’s saline lakes to eat the blue-green algae that grows in abundance. The red-orange pigment in the algae is what gives them their distinctive pink plumage. They also use the site to breed. (Photo by Alexandre and Chloe Bes/Naturagency/Solent News)

New York Islanders left wing Pierre Engvall and Columbus Blue Jackets Sean Kuraly (7) fight in the third period at UBS Arena on January 20, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters)

The AMECA robot from the manufacturer Engineered Arts is in the Deutsches Museum Nuremberg (Future Museum), Bavaria on May 3, 2022. AMECA is a humanoid robot that will be presented to the general public for the first time in Europe as part of the Blue Night on May 7, 2022 in Nuremberg. (Photo by Daniel Karmann/dpa/Alamy Live News)