SCARCE butterflies, frosty landscapes, rare weevils, a buzzing bumblebee and an autumnal nuthatch are some of the fantastic images that have won pride of place in an annual photography competition.

12 winning images will be showcased in Worcestershire Wildlife Trust’s 2018 calendar, which highlights the glory and diversity of the county’s wildlife and wild places.

The front-cover image of a nuthatch was taken by Bromsgrove resident John Caswell.

Also featured is Rosemary Morris from Inkberrow, who photographed a common carder bee.

Wendy Carter, organiser of the competition for the trust, said: “We had a fantastic response to this year’s competition with more than 330 images entered by 60 photographers and we’d like to thank everyone who entered.

“Judging so many fabulous entries was really hard but we think we’ve got another beautiful calendar that really does show Worcestershire at its best whilst also celebrating the talent of our local photographers."

The annual competition runs from November to April each year and is open to any photographer taking images of wildlife and wildlife-friendly places across Worcestershire.

Of the 12 winning images, four were put into a public vote to choose the overall winner to feature on the front cover of the calendar.

A nuthatch at Pepper Wood near Catshill taken by John Caswell won with 55 per cent of the vote.

John said: “I was amazed when I received an e-mail to tell me that my image was one of the 12 selected for the 2018 calendar.

“I was even more surprised that it had been shortlisted for cover/overall winner; there were some superb images in the running.

“To actually have been voted for overall winner, I am over the moon. I can’t believe it - first thing I’ve ever won with one of my images.

The calendar is available to buy from the trust’s offices or online shop costing £7.

All proceeds will directly benefit the work of the trust to protect Worcestershire’s wildlife and wild places.