Red Poppies on West Pentire

For a few short weeks each summer, the fields at West Pentire, near Crantock on Cornwall's north coast, are transformed into an extraordinary sea of scarlet red as thousands of wild poppies burst into flower.

Stretching across the coastal headland, these colourful fields have become one of Cornwall's most spectacular seasonal sights. The delicate, papery petals sway gently in the breeze, creating an almost endless expanse of red against the fresh greens of the surrounding countryside.

Photographed in June 2023, I wanted to capture something of the wonderful intensity of colour rather than the wider landscape. By using a long telephoto lens and a relatively shallow depth of field, I was able to pick out individual flowers and delicate seed heads, allowing the surrounding poppies to dissolve into soft washes of red and green.

What makes these fields particularly interesting is the way they are managed. The National Trust maintains the land as a haven for traditional arable wildflowers, using a system of cultivation that allows poppies and other native plants to flourish naturally. The flowers aren't replanted each year but emerge from seeds already present in the soil.

Alongside the poppies, other wildflowers provide valuable habitat for insects, birds and small mammals, making these colourful fields much more than simply a beautiful sight.

I have always been drawn to the vivid colours and delicate forms of wildflowers, and the poppies at West Pentire are particularly rewarding to photograph. Their brilliant red petals, slender stems and gently nodding flower heads provide endless opportunities to explore light, colour and composition.

For me, this photograph captures the fleeting beauty of early summer in Cornwall, a brief but wonderful display of colour that makes the changing seasons such a pleasure to photograph.