From spring, look out for the beautiful, speckled gold-and-black breeding plumage of the golden plover. It can be found in its upland moorland breeding grounds from May to September, moving to…

A non-native species originating from Asia, the harlequin ladybird is prevalent in towns and gardens.

A stocky, little sandpiper, the knot can be spotted in estuaries from August onwards, migrating here from the Arctic where it breeds. Look out for it probing the muddy sand with its specialised…

The common name of the Bloody-nosed beetle derives from its unusual defence mechanism: when threatened, it secretes a distasteful blood-red liquid from its mouth. This flightless beetle can be…

The caterpillars of this fluffy white moth are best admired from a distance, as their hairs can irritate the skin.

A strikingly beautiful fish, it is not hard to see where the ‘red’ mullet gets its name from!

This small, white heron is an increasingly common sight in parts of the UK as it spreads north from continental Europe.

It’s easy to identify this distinctive skate from the black and yellow marbled eye spots on each wing.

The enigmatic golden eagle disappeared from England and Wales in the 19th century due to severe persecution. Scottish birds suffered from the use of pesticides in the 20th century. Luckily, golden…

This brown seaweed lives in the lower shore and gets its name from the serrated edges to its fronds.

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