On Chesil Beach and in icy waters – readers’ best photographs

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

‘Going wild – a swathe of summer flowers on a local allotment.’

Photograph: Joanna Rimmer

Farolim de Felgueiras, Portugal

‘The light of the sunset reflects on the black stones of the beach, drawing thousands of gold nuggets. Sometimes it takes little to see the beauty of life.’

Photograph: Emanuele Bissoli

Moremi game reserve, Botswana

‘Every cat needs a scratching post.’

Photograph: Vicki Barwick

Portsmouth, UK

‘I snapped this photo during the annual kite festival. It was a pretty gloomy day, with clouds blanketing the sun until the last few hours, when the skies cleared, making the spectacular kites pop.’

Photograph: Sebastian Kettley

Michigan, US

‘A honeybee on a poppy flower on the fourth of July. Photographed in my vegetable garden.’

Photograph: Catherine Badgley

Saint-Cado, Brittany, France

‘The little house with blue shutters at evening tide.’

Photograph: Kelvin Atkins

Glasgow, UK

‘Passing the King George V dock, I noticed that these wind turbine sections, being stored flat in the dock, looked like a rolling hills landscape made of steel.’

Photograph: Stuart Neville

Dorset, UK

‘The Milky Way core rises above an old fishing boat, the Phoenix, and a rusting fishing shack on Chesil Beach.’

Photograph: Harvey Grenville

Strasbourg, France

‘A girl plays in a fountain in the city centre during a particularly hot spell.’

Photograph: Brian Minkoff

County Mayo, Ireland

‘The beach at Louisburgh, with Croagh Patrick in the background.’

Photograph: Fiona Dyar

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

‘A balletic silver-eared mesia happy in its mountain habitat in south-east Asia. Sadly, they’re commonly captured for cages due to their colourful plumage.’

Photograph: Rowan Moss

Antarctica

‘I snapped this picture of the post-race polar plunge after the annual Antarctica Marathon. People were tumbling head over heels into the icy waters.’

Photograph: Tommy Vinh Bui

Serengeti national park, Tanzania

‘A lucky encounter with a lioness carrying her cub across a kopje in the Namiri Plains region.’

Photograph: David McNaught

Greenland

‘A glacier at Prince Christian Sound.’

Photograph: Gabriela Maj

Sakya monastery, Tibet

‘We were walking around the ramparts and I noticed a young monk on his phone. I love the textures and the colours of the monastery walls, which are coated in yoghurt paint.’

Photograph: Jane Kaye