Special mention

A special mention to these six images which were finalists in the competition. Whilst they just missed out on prizes, they still really impressed our judges.

These images, along with the winner, runner-up and highly commended images in each category, feature in our limited edition 2012 calendar - available to buy from our online shop here.

Glasswing butterfly feeding

Photographer: David Harris

"The Glasswing butterfly (Greta oto) must be one of the most exquisite of all Lepidoptera.  This specimen was feeding in the Tropical House at RHS Wisley and let me approach to take this close up shot.  The colourful flower-mimicking paintwork of the feeding station creates an almost surreal yet complementary setting for this beautiful creature, and the deep pink platform is richly reflected by the white scales on the Glasswing’s abdomen.  And all this micro-engineered, delicate loveliness emerges through the miracle of metamorphosis ."

Honey bee feeding on Mexican aster

Photographer: Lukas Muhlbauer

"This photo depicts a classic example of mutualism. While the bee is feeding on the flower's nectar, pollen can be seen to have stuck on its body. One small pollen grain in the bee's hair might be sufficient to enable fertilisation on this or another plant. This image inspires me because it shows the act of pollination in a detail that can hardly be observed with the naked eye. The picture stands for the many unseen processes in our life which make a significant difference in the way our world functions. "

Evolution in Action

Photographer: Lukas Muhlbauer

"This photograph shows how the interaction between very different organisms results in visible evolutionary outcomes. While the magnificent colour of the Petunia flower has attracted the hoverfly to land on its pink petals and spread its pollen, the hoverfly itself has evolved Baterisan mimicry in order to repel predators by resembling the black and yellow striped body of other harmful insects. I find that photograph very inspiring because it shows how evolution can help us to understand the features of all organisms and even incidental events such as a hoverfly landing on a flower petal."

Leap for survival!

Photographer: Rachael Antwis

"This image of a male red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas), captured during my fieldwork in Central America in 2011, is a fantastic example of the colourful biodiversity found within anuran species.  Thirty per cent of amphibian species are threatened with extinction due to habitat destruction, over-harvesting for the pet and food industries and emerging infectious diseases, as well as synergistic threats including climate change. This beautiful species is used in my research to learn how captive anuran populations can differ from their wild counterparts, and provides inspiration to continue working towards more successful conservation breeding programmes and reintroductions into the wild."

The Cévennes Chestnut

Photographer: Beth Ashbridge

"A wild Cévennes chestnut cupule found in Roussillon’s ochre red quarry. The colour contrast between the burnt earth and vivid green cupule is remarkable. The different textures of the bare soil and protective spikes, along with the shadows produced by the intense sunlight of a mid-afternoon day offer a different perspective on the world around us. The “bread tree” provides an important food source for the Cévennes and is represented throughout markets and festivals from September to February. The Cévennes chestnut is as relevant today as it has been throughout the history of this region."

Longitudinal section of hen’s tongue

Photographer: Steve Lowry

"This is a portion of a stained longitudinal section of a hen’s tongue.  The blood vessel capillaries are visible extending out towards the upper surface of the tongue.  Using polarised light microscopy and a wave-retarding filter has modified the colours of the original section. I recently bought a second hand Olympus BX45 microscope with polarising capability and have adapted this to take images using a Nikon D200.  I had photographed this specimen on an older less sophisticated student microscope but am much happier with the results from my new equipment."