The hooded crow was thought to be the same species as the carrion crow, but they have now been separated. Less widespread than its cousin, look for it in North Scotland, Northern Ireland and the…

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.

The Holm oak is an introduced species that has been widely planted near the coast and in parkland. It is self-seeding in the south of the UK. Its young leaves are spiny like Holly leaves, and it…

The appearance of semi-circular holes in the leaves of your garden plants is a sure sign that the patchwork leaf-cutter bee has been at work. It is one of a number of leaf-cutter bee species…

The Alcathoe bat was 'discovered' in the UK in 2010 when it was confirmed as a separate species to the very similar whiskered and Brandt's bats. Little is known about its range and…

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.

This charming little warbler is an increasingly common sight in autumn, when migrants pass through the UK.

Sea-buckthorn is a spiny, thicket-forming shrub of sand dunes. It's native to the east coast of England but considered an invasive species elsewhere. It is most obvious in autumn when it is…

A well known inhabitant of UK seas, common lobsters can reach up to 60cm in length.

Introduced from Japan in the 19th century, Japanese knotweed is now an invasive non-native plant of many riverbanks, waste grounds and roadside verges, where it prevents native species from…