Florence’s photo of a Speckled Wood butterfly wins Barry Wells Award for Young Photographers
- Florence Brookes has won the Barry Wells Award for Young Photographers with a photo of a Speckled Wood butterfly.
- The award aims to recognise the importance of garden flowers in supporting pollinators.
- The competition saw new entrants and diverse pollinator photographs.
- Florence, age 8, plans to continue her photography pursuits after winning.
- The Bailiwick Wildlife Photography Exhibition runs at Guernsey Museums.
The Pollinator Project has announced Florence Brookes as the second recipient of the Barry Wells Award for Young Photographers.
Florence's winning photograph features a Speckled Wood butterfly resting on an echinacea flower, highlighting the significance of garden flora in supporting local pollinators.
It was overwhelmingly voted by the Pollinator Project team as the 2026 winner of this category in the Guernsey Arts Bailiwick Wildlife Photography Exhibition supported by Mourant.
Sharon Hickman from the Pollinator Project said: “This year we had new entrants, new pollinators, great new photos in all sorts of poses, but we all loved Florence’s photo of the Speckled Wood. It’s great to see other pollinators getting recognised, not just bees.”
The exhibition aims to raise awareness about various pollinators, including butterflies often seen sampling nectar and transferring pollen, similar to the featured Speckled Wood butterfly.
Florence, 8, attends Castel Primary School.
Her mother, Philippa, said: “She has always had an interest in nature, from looking under logs for earthworms to spotting butterflies and beetles. She just loves taking photos and just entered for fun, she didn’t even realise there was a prize. Now she knows she’s planning to buy a new camera and carry on with photography.”
Jayne Wells, who presented the award, said: “Barry would have chuckled at this photo, his form of gardening was entirely natural. I’d have to hunt for him sometimes among the tall teasels, toadflax and verbenas. He’d have appreciated the contrast between the chocolate brown of the butterfly and the pinky-purple and orange of these cone flowers. Florence did an excellent job.”
She added that Barry would have enjoyed all entries, from the hummingbird hawk moth to the camouflaged comma butterfly.
The Barry Wells Award, which carries a prize of £500, is conferred annually to young individuals up to the age of 24 to honour their work with pollinating insects in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
The award was established in 2025, funded through donations made in memory of Barry Wells.
The exhibition is currently ongoing at The Greenhouse Gallery, located within Guernsey Museums at Candie, and is held alongside the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.
The Pollinator Project is a registered charity, founded in 2017 by Barry Wells and Vanessa Crispini-Adams, with the objective of safeguarding pollinators.
It focuses on insects, such as bees, butterflies, and beetles, which play a crucial role in pollinating flowering plants, aiding in the production of seeds and fruits.
The initiative offers support through science projects, collaborations with NGOs and government, and guidance for schools and businesses wishing to create pollinator-friendly spaces.
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