A new exhibition of photos of St Nicholas Fields opens tomorrow. Stephen Lewis reports.

Raindrops bead a leaf, glistening like jewels; a Common Darter dragonfly, weakened by its struggles to escape from a spider’s web, rests on a photographer’s hand; and a hoverfly alights on a Meadow Crane’s-bill flower.

Three stunning images that capture some of the wild beauty right on our doorsteps here in York.

The pictures were all taken at the St Nicholas Fields nature reserve, by York Environment Centre manager Ivana Jakubkova. They are part of a series of ten photographs that go on display in an exhibition that opens tomorrow evening at the National Trust Café in Goodramgate to celebrate the environment centre’s tenth year.

The exhibition runs for a month – and there’s a good reason why it opens tomorrow. “Sunday is October 10, 2010,” says Ivana. That’s 10/10/10, in case you weren’t paying attention.

A very appropriate date on which to celebrate ten years: especially since tomorrow is also the Global Day of Doing, run by the international 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon emissions.

The idea of the photographs is to try to capture something of the character and flavour of St Nicholas Fields, in the hope that it will encourage people to come and visit the reserve for themselves.

“There are plenty of reasons for doing that,” Ivana says. “We’ve got 24 acres of lovely nature reserve, and people can also come to the environment centre to learn about conservation and recycling.”

Naturally enough, many of the photographs in the exhibition concentrate on the wildlife and wild flowers. But St Nicks is also about people – the people who set the nature reserve up, the people who help look after it, and the people who use it.

Vivienne Lumley’s great photograph of two regular visitors, Dot and Ron, captures something of that spirit.

Vivienne, a members of the St Nick’s camera club, has entitled the photograph “It was love at first sight”. And she has a story to go with it.

“When Dot and Ron met at the Albany dance hall in Goodramgate over 50 years ago, it was love at first sight!” she says.

“They were soon married and for the next 50 years worked together, running a golf club in Harrogate before coming to Tramways Working Men’s Club in York and latterly running a B&B in Lawrence Street. “In retirement they remain very much in love with one another but have also fallen in love with St Nicholas Fields. Together with their dog Joey, Dot and Ron visit St Nicholas Fields every day without fail. Come rain or shine they come to feed the birds and have a friendly chat with other visitors.

“If you want to know anything about St Nicholas Fields, such as how it changes through the seasons or the best spots to see robins or blue-tits – ask Dot and Ron. St Nicholas Fields is their specialist subject!”

• 10 Pics from St Nicks photographic exhibition opens at the National Trust Café in Goodramgate tomorrow, from 5-7pm. It then runs until November 10, opening 9.30-4.30 Monday to Friday, and 9.30-5pm Saturdays.