When Martin Le-May snapped a weasel catching a ride on a woodpecker’s back, he probably did not expect to find global fame.

But the photograph was featured in the national and international press and now his extraordinary image will be immortalised in ceramics by Sussex potter Helen Hodson.

Mrs Hodson, 33, of Hassocks, works for the Sussex Wildlife Trust and creates whimsical ceramic creatures in her spare time.

When she saw the now-famous photograph, she knew it would make an interesting design.

She said: “When that photo came out and went viral, it made me laugh and reminded me of just how amusing wildlife can be.”

She set about recreating the weasel and its feathered friend, and posted a picture on social media asking friends and followers whether the weasel should wear a cowboy hat.

Mrs Hodson explained: “I always put a hat on things if I can, but most people are saying that the weasel looks better without one. I’m planning to fire the hat separately, so whoever buys it can choose.”

She hopes to sell the finished piece online to raise money for the Sussex Wildlife Trust and she has auctioned pieces for the charity in the past.

However, her weaselpecker, as it has been nicknamed online, is not ready for sale yet.

She said: “It is the most challenging thing I have made so far. The next stage is to find out if it survives going through the kiln, and then I have to glaze it and fire it again.”

Mrs Hodson works in the wildlife trust’s Biodiversity Record Centre, and took up pottery after taking an evening course three years ago.

She now has her own studio and kiln, and started selling her creations at the beginning of this year.

Her love of wildlife influences her pottery, and earlier this year she made and auctioned baby badgers in aid of the trust’s Badger Appeal.