Images Dated 8th February 2006

To My Valentine, American Valentine card, c1908

To My Valentine, American Valentine card, c1908. Cupid shoots an arrow into a heart held up by a putto. The words are surrounded by garlands of forget-me-nots (Myosotis palustris) and lucky four-leaved shamrock or wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), a symbol of Ireland. In Roman mythology Cupid was the son of Venus, goddess of love (Eros and Aphrodite in the Greek Pantheon). The identity of St Valentine is uncertain, the most popular candidates are Valentine, bishop of Terni (3rd century) or a Roman Christian convert martyred c270). St Valentine's Day, celebrated on 14 February, probably replaces the Roman pagan festival of Lupercalia

© Ann Ronan Picture Library / Heritage-Images

To My True Love, American Valentine card, c1910

To My True Love, American Valentine card, c1910. Cupid dances on grass with naturalised Snowdrops and is playing a lyre of bluebells. Above him are red hearts symbolising love and four-leafed Shamrocks for luck. In the language of flowers the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) stands for consolation and the blueball (Scilla noscripta) for kindness. Shamrock or wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is a symbol of Ireland. In Roman mythology Cupid was the son of Venus, goddess of love (Eros and Aphrodite in the Greek Pantheon). The identity of St Valentine is uncertain, the most popular candidates are Valentine, bishop of Terni (3rd century) or a Roman Christian convert martyred c270). St Valentine's Day, celebrated on 14 February, probably replaces the Roman pagan festival of Lupercalia

© Ann Ronan Picture Library / Heritage-Images

Stoplight parrotfish supermale

Stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) on a coral reef. The colouration of this fish indicates that it is a supermale. Females and immature males are brown, white and red (see image Z605/1420). The supermale is the dominant male in a given area of the reef, and has his choice of breeding partners. The stoplight parrotfish is a protogynous hermaphrodite: all young fish are female. They change sex as they grow, but only one of the males will develop into a supermale. When the supermale dies another male develops supermale colouration. The stoplight parrotfish inhabits reefs in the tropical western Atlantic, from Florida, USA, to Brazil. It feeds on algae and corals and can reach 64 centimetres in length. Photographed off Bonaire Island in the Netherlands Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea

© GEORGETTE DOUWMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY