I’m delighted to be partnering with Butterfly Conservation and Leeds City Council over the next six months to document the Leeds Wild Spaces project – a city-wide initiative focused on creating new habitats for butterflies, moths and other pollinators across Leeds.
Creating Wild Spaces Across Leeds
The project forms part of Butterfly Conservation’s wider Wild Spaces programme, which encourages people to create spaces where wildlife can thrive, whether that’s a wildflower meadow in a public park or a small patch of planting at home. In Leeds, the focus is on transforming areas of green space into new wildflower meadows while also creating opportunities for local communities to connect with nature through volunteering, training sessions and public events.
As part of my contract with the project, I’ll be documenting the work as it develops throughout spring and summer 2026. The brief covers everything from meadow creation and planting sessions through to volunteer events, community engagement and the final celebration event later this summer.
What immediately appealed to me about the project was its combination of environmental conservation and community involvement. The aim isn’t simply to create beautiful wildflower spaces, but to encourage more people to engage with nature and feel empowered to create Wild Spaces of their own.
The project plans to create eight publicly accessible Wild Spaces across Leeds, alongside community workshops, volunteer opportunities and starter packs to help residents establish their own pollinator-friendly areas.
A Wild Space can be something surprisingly small. Butterfly Conservation describes it as any space that supports butterflies and moths by providing food, nectar and shelter, whether that’s a meadow, planter, balcony or community garden. The wider goal is to create lasting habitats while making nature feel more accessible within urban environments.
Leeds Wild Spaces – The First Shoots
The first shoots have already taken place over the last couple of weeks, documenting both a plug planting event and a seed sowing session in two Leeds parks. These early sessions were a great introduction to the project – a mix of practical conservation work, volunteers getting hands-on outdoors and the first signs of these spaces beginning to take shape.
Photographing projects like this is always about more than simply documenting activities. I’m interested in capturing the atmosphere, the people involved and the connection between communities and the environments they’re helping to create.
Looking Ahead
Visually, the project is a really interesting one to document because it will evolve so much over the coming months. Right now many of the locations are in their early stages, but by summer these spaces should be filled with colour, texture and wildlife. Alongside the environmental side of the story, there’s also a strong focus on the people helping shape these spaces across the city.
I’ll be sharing more photographs and updates from the Leeds Wild Spaces project as the work continues over the coming months, including community events, meadow development and the final celebration event later this summer.
You can find out more about the project on the Leeds Wild Spaces website and the wider Wild Spaces programme by Butterfly Conservation.
