Wonders of the wild captured on camera

Stunning images of plants and wildlife from across the world are brightening up a corner of Shropshire for the summer.

Winning images from the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition have gone on show at the Footprint Gallery, next to Jackfield Tile Museum, leaving visitors amazed at the close-up detail.

Click on the image to the right for more photos

Ratty's Breakfast, a beautiful image of a water vole helping itself to a blackberry treat, was taken by Simon Roy at Askham Bog Nature Reserve, owned by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Mr Roy explained the patience needed to capture the picture. He said: "I had observed a water vole attempting to reach overhanging brambles from the edge of a small pond in a local nature reserve.

"I created a natural looking island using a moss covered rock and positioned it so that a vole could use it to get to the fruit. I then spent many hours lying in the mud waiting for one to try."

One amazing image shows a grasshopper wiping a raindrop from its head. Photographer Matt Cole captured the puzzled looking grasshopper.

Entries came from all over the world, including Sinuous, taken by Magdalena Wasiczek from Glichów in Poland.

She said: "This is a small elephant hawk moth caterpillar (Deilephila porcellus) at a young stage.

"I think it is one of the most beautiful caterpillars and I was amazed by its size of nearly 9cm.

"In this photo I like the layout of caterpillar and stem like an 'S'. This was the first time I had seen this type of caterpillar, and I could not pass up this opportunity to photograph it. I have to admit that she was a top model."

The picture of the clutch of hungry birds was taken by Nina Jonsson of Son, in Norway.

Describing the image, she said: "The young willow warblers' open beaks and stretched necks signalled that they were impatient for insects from their parents."

The startling image of a red ant balanced on water was taken by Vincentius Ferdinand on Batam Island, Indonesia.

He said: "I took hundreds of shots to capture this photo, and paid a lot of attention to the behaviour of these ants.

"The right time to take these shots is the late afternoon, when the light is gentle enough light to produce good backlighting and a perfect reflection."

Anna Brennand, deputy chief executive at Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said the exhibition had 'captured the hearts of visitors'.

"After 18 months of careful planning and discussions with the organisers of the International Garden Photographer of the Year Competition, we are delighted to see the exhibition on display at Jackfield Tile Museum and being appreciated by visitors from all over the world," she said.

"We were keen to hold the exhibition here in the Gorge, as the natural world and flowers were always a source of inspiration to the artists that worked in the many factories, designing floral tiles, decorating ceramics with exotic flowers or casting benches and fountains from iron with flowers incorporated into the designs.

"The exhibition that features over 50 world class photographs has certainly captured the hearts of our visitors.

"People have expressed amazement at the technical skills of the photographers, amusement over some of the more unusual images."

The photographic competition is run by Garden and Landscape Photographic Arts Ltd in conjunction with the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. The first International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition was held at the Kew in 2008.

The main exhibition is held annually at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, with a rolling programme of touring exhibitions throughout the UK and all over the world.

The International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition will be open in Jackfield from 10am to 5pm until September 1 and admission to the exhibition is free.

• Go to www.igpoty.com for information about International Garden Photographer of the Year

By Ann Clarkson