Dawn meadow - Rupert Heath - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: In Praise of Plants and Fungi - Highly Commended

Rupert Heath Enlarge image Dawn meadow

Rupert Heath (United Kingdom)

Dawn meadow

'I tend to take most of my photographs around dawn - the most magical time to be outside. This picture's main focus is the field scabious, but you can also see the old grass species, and there's a wonderful, thick, uncut hedgerow beyond.' Meadows buzz with insect life in the summer. Many of these creatures provide food for the birds that raise their broods in the surrounding trees and hedgerows, as well as skylarks that nest among the grasses. The National Trust cares for this particular meadow in the UK county of Surrey. In the UK, meadowland has been reduced by 95 per cent in 10 years.

Ebony 45S + 90mm lens; 13 secs at f32; Fujichrome Velvia 50; 0.9 & 0.3 hard-graduated neutral-density Lee filters; tripod.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.