Wood melick is a slender, drooping grass that grows in dense patches in ancient woodlands and along shady banks. It has nodding flower heads, with brown, egg-shaped spikelets that contain the…

The cormorant is an excellent fisher. It is most easily spotted when it is perched, stretching its wings out in the sun to dry after a dive. The UK holds internationally important wintering…

Giants of the jellyfish world, these incredible creatures are the UK’s largest jellyfish! They can grow to the size of dustbin lids – giving them their other common name: dustbin-lid jellyfish.…

The thick topshell is a common sight on rocky shores in Wales and South West England.

Look for the unusual flowers of lords-and-ladies in spring woodlands: a pale green sheath surrounds a spike of tiny, yellow flowers. This spike eventually forms a familiar, short stalk of striking…

A good luck charm for travellers, Germander speedwell can be seen along roadsides, grassy lanes and hedgerows. Look for clumps of bright blue flowers.

This beautiful beetle only arrived in the UK in 1960s but is now a common sight on garden herbs.

This big, beautiful fungus is a common one that can often be spotted popping out of trees.

Edible periwinkles are a common sight when rockpooling and can be found in huge numbers on the shore.

This shiny beetle is common in wooded areas throughout the UK. As the name suggests, it specialises in hunting snails.

A common moth across most of the UK. The large, hairy caterpillars are often seen in late summer.