The red mason bee is a common, gingery bee that can be spotted nesting in the crumbling mortar of old walls. Encourage bees to nest in your garden by putting out a tin can full of short, hollow…

The common pipistrelle is so small, it can fit into a matchbox! Despite its size, it can easily eat 3,000 insects a night: look for it flitting around the garden or a lit lamp post as it chases…

The whooper swan is a very rare breeding bird in the UK, but has much larger populations that spend winter here after a long journey from Iceland. It has more yellow on its yellow-and-black bill…

These bulky beetles can sometimes be found on flowers in woodland rides or along hedgerows.

This long-lived bivalve can be found buried in the sand on the south and west coasts of the UK.

The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t…

The grayling is one of our largest brown butterflies and a master of disguise - its cryptic colouring helps to camouflage it against bare earth and stones in its coastal habitats and on inland…

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 is a predominantly subtidal species but can be found on the lowest parts of a sheltered rocky shore in summer.