A MALVERN photographer’s stunning shot of some spotted orchids in Malvern Common will be featuring in the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust’s 2016 calendar.
Tony Hughes was announced as one of the 12 winners of the conservation charity’s annual photography competition which celebrates the beauty and diversity of the county.
Tony’s picture, which will be the feature image in June, was one of more than 320 images taken by 62 photographers who entered the competition, launched in November last year.
Another 17 runners-up will also have their images as insets alongside the dates.
The 12 winning pictures included everything from starling sunset, a smiling frog and beautiful meadows to frosty leaves.
The competition was open to any photographer who took images of wildlife and wild places in Worcestershire.
Many of the entries, and several of the winners, illustrated just how much wildlife could be found in gardens as well as in the wider landscape.
The aim of the competition was to encourage people to explore the wonders of the natural world in their area.
Tony said: “This photo is a tribute to the Malvern Hills Conservators whose sensitive management of Malvern Common ensures the display of orchids improves every year.”
Wendy Carter, the trust’s communications manager, added judging this year seemed harder than ever as there were some super photographs.
“We’re again thrilled by the quantity and quality of images and are really grateful to external judge and twice a previous overall winner, Jason Curtis, for his help in whittling down the entries,” she said.
“We think we’ve got yet another beautiful calendar that demonstrates what a great county we live in and will hopefully take pride of place on people’s walls.”
The calendar is available to buy from the trust’s offices or online for £7. All proceeds will go towards the conservation of Worcestershire’s wildlife and wild places.
