Hornwrack
Hornwrack is often found washed up on our beaches, with many believing that it is dried seaweed. In fact, it is a colony of animals!
Hornwrack is often found washed up on our beaches, with many believing that it is dried seaweed. In fact, it is a colony of animals!
The ragworm is highly common on our shores, though rarely seen except by the fishermen that dig them up for bait.
Few of us can contemplate having a wood in our back gardens, but just a few metres is enough to establish this mini-habitat!
As the bluebells fade, yellow archangel takes its turn to impress, with golden-yellow flowers carpeting our ancient woodlands.
Their long narrow shells are a common sight on our shores, especially after storms, but the animals themselves live buried in the sand.
The bright green ring-necked parakeet is an escapee and our only naturalised parrot; its success is likely due to warmer winters.
One of our largest and most impressive solitary wasps, the bee wolf digs a nest in sandy spots and hunts honey bees.
The dark-blue flowers of Common milkwort pepper our grasslands from May to September. It can also appear in pink and white forms.
This slender and elegant shark species is often found close to shore all around our coasts and can grow up to 6 feet long.
One of our most familiar spring flowers, the cowslip brightens up ancient meadows and woodlands with its egg-yolk-yellow, nodding blooms.
Wild carrot does, indeed, smell of carrots, but the roots are not like our cultivated, dinnertime favourite. Look for this umbellifer on chalk grasslands and coasts.