Scabiosa crenata. Fruit - diameter 7.2mm, 2013. Hand-coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) dimensions variable. by Rob Kessler.

What at first appears as an exotic ballet costume is in fact a vastly magnified micrograph image of a tiny seed of Scabies crenate, the pincushion flower, a member of the honeysuckle family. For more than a decade the British artist Rob Kessler has been working on the frontier between art and science, producing microscopic views of plant material such as seeds and pollen grains, and highlighting how little we know about the mysterious workings of plant propagation. Kessler applies a fine coating of platinum to his specimens before scanning them with a high-magnification scanning electron microscope to produce black and white images, which he then begins to tint with thin washes of colour.