The invisible beauty of flowers: Images of petals, leaves and pollen captured by electron microscope

These cutting-edge images reveal the usually invisible beauty of flowers, zooming right in on their vibrant colours and quirky textures.

Japanese artist Susumu Nishinaga uses a scanning electron microscope to delve into the fabric of petals, leaves and pollen, creating a stunning collection of plants from sunflowers to pansies.

The Japanese artist then 'colours the images in' using a computer to show off remarkable textures that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Vibrant: These apricot flower stamens were captured using an electron microscope by Japanese artist Susumu Nishinaga

Intricate: The stigma of an Easter cactus flower where the female sex cells ripen to form a fruit that contains the plant's seeds

Dazzling: Geranium pollen grains, which form the male sex cells of a flowering plant

Mr Nishinaga said: 'Almost everything on earth has been captured by photographers, but there is unknown beauty still waiting to be discovered in the micro world.

The eye-opening collection includes geranium pollen, aubergine flower petals, pansies, lilies and the hibiscus plant.

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Mr Nishinaga originally trained as a graphic designer at university. Whilst there he visited a lab and saw a scanning electron microscope being used first-hand.

He was allowed a go on the machine and became hooked.

Detail: Zooming right in on the glowing yellow rape petals, showing the papillae, lumps that help to reduce water loss from the petal

Vivid: The luminous pink of a suckling clover's soft petals

Beautiful: The buttercup flower's orange pistil surrounded by the pink stamens

The high-cost equipment is able to produce images of the tiniest particles by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons.

Mr Nishinaga has since had many books published and exhibitions commissioned in his native Japan.

He also takes remarkable pictures inside the human body, showing incredible levels of detail in the digestive system.

Bizarre: The microscope is zoomed in close enough to see the tiny epidermal hairs on the aubergine flower petal

Rough texture: The pansy petal is covered in cone-shaped hairs, which are brightly-coloured and scented to attract insects

Miniscule: A stigma of a sunflower plant, which is curled over here, holding the orange pollen grains

Unrecognisable: Orchids zoomed right into their open flowers