The large, plump woodpigeon is a familiar sight in our gardens and parks, but can also be found on farmland and in woodlands almost everywhere. You may hear its cooing call before you see the bird…

This beautiful beetle is fond of damp meadows and woodland rides, where it's often found on umbellifers or thistles.

Red squirrels are native to the UK but are a lot rarer than their grey cousins. They live in a few special places across the UK thanks to reintroduction projects.

You've probably spotted this long-legged spider hiding in the corner of a house or building.

This well-camouflaged wader is a winter visitor to the UK, where it can be seen feeding on wetlands with a distinctive bobbing motion.

This colonial creature looks like an old-fashioned quill - that's where the name sea pen comes from.

A handsome gamebird, the pheasant is an introduced species that has settled here with little problem. It can be spotted in its farmland and woodland habitats, although you'll probably hear…

The fly-shaped flowers of this fascinating plant are attractive to insects - but not the ones you might expect!

A key species in the story of conservation, the avocet represents an amazing recovery of a bird once extinct in the UK. This pied bird, with its distinctive upturned bill, can now be seen on…