Learn & Discover

Britain's most widespread wild carnivore, the red fox thrives in both rural and urban environments thanks to its highly adaptable diet and behaviour. Largely nocturnal, foxes are most often seen at dusk and dawn hunting rabbits, voles, and invertebrates.

Hedgehog populations have declined by a third since 2000, making every sighting significant. They hibernate from November to March and rely on connected wildlife corridors to forage safely at night.

Britain's only native squirrel is now restricted to Scotland, Northumberland, and a few islands, squeezed out by the introduced grey squirrel and squirrelpox virus. Smaller than grey squirrels, reds have distinctive ear tufts in winter.

The barn owl's heart-shaped face and ghostly white plumage make it one of Britain's most recognisable birds. They hunt in near-silence using exceptional hearing to pinpoint voles and mice in complete darkness.

Once near extinction due to pesticides, otters have made a remarkable recovery and now inhabit rivers across most of Britain. Largely nocturnal and territorial, they mark their range with distinctive fish-scented spraints.

England holds around half the world's population of native bluebells, which form spectacular violet-blue carpets in ancient woodland each April and May. Unlike the invasive Spanish bluebell, native plants have drooping one-sided spikes and a sweet honey scent.

One of Britain's most extraordinary wildflowers, the bee orchid's flower mimics a female bumblebee with extraordinary accuracy to lure male pollinators. It colonises chalk and limestone grassland, road verges, and old quarries where competition is low.

Britain's most common carnivorous plant, the round-leaved sundew traps insects on glistening sticky tentacles to supplement the poor nutrients of bogs and heathlands. Its small white flowers appear from June to August.

Also called ramsons, wild garlic creates stunning white-flowered carpets in damp ancient woodland from March to May, filling the air with a strong garlic scent. The broad leaves are edible but can be confused with toxic lily of the valley — always smell before eating.

A tall native biennial with spires of tubular purple-pink flowers, foxgloves thrive in woodland clearings, heathland, and hedgerows across Britain. All parts of the plant are poisonous, yet it is a vital nectar source for bumblebees and the specialist foxglove bee.

Britain is home to around 40% of the world's grey seals, with major colonies on the Norfolk, Pembrokeshire, and Farne Island coasts. Males can weigh up to 300 kg and are easily identified by their distinctive flat 'Roman' nose profile.

Cardigan Bay and the Moray Firth are home to two of the few resident bottlenose dolphin populations in UK waters. These highly intelligent animals live in complex social groups and may live for over 50 years.

The world's second largest fish visits British waters each summer to filter-feed on zooplankton near the surface. Despite reaching 12 m in length, basking sharks are completely harmless and have been fully protected in UK waters since 1998.

Britain holds around 10% of the world's Atlantic puffins, with major colonies on the Farne Islands, Skomer, and Handa Island. Remarkable divers, puffins can carry up to 10 fish crosswise in their distinctive striped bills.

One of just two seahorse species in UK waters, this delicate fish inhabits seagrass beds and shallow estuaries around southern England and Wales. Uniquely, males carry and give birth to the young from a specialised brood pouch.

One of the world's worst invasive plants, Japanese knotweed can penetrate concrete foundations and tarmac, and costs £165 million annually to manage in the UK. Its hollow bamboo-like stems grow up to 3 m tall and can regrow from root fragments as small as 1 cm.

Introduced from North America in 1876, grey squirrels carry squirrelpox virus — lethal to red squirrels — and strip bark from trees causing significant timber losses across Britain. They have displaced red squirrels from most of England and Wales.

Introduced from North America, signal crayfish carry crayfish plague and have driven the native white-clawed crayfish to the edge of extinction in England. They burrow extensively into riverbanks, causing serious erosion and destabilising watercourses.

Introduced as a garden ornamental in 1839, this tall annual now dominates riverbanks across Britain, producing up to 800 seeds per plant that explode up to 7 m from the parent. It dies back each winter, leaving bare banks highly vulnerable to erosion.

Originally planted as game cover, this evergreen shrub now forms impenetrable, light-excluding thickets across upland woodland and heathland, eliminating all native ground flora beneath it. It is also a reservoir for Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen behind sudden oak death.

Habitat destruction is the primary driver of biodiversity loss in the UK, caused by urban development, agricultural intensification, drainage of wetlands, and clearance of hedgerows and ancient woodland. Once a habitat is gone it may take centuries to recover, or may never return at all.

Fly-tipping — the illegal disposal of waste on land — costs local authorities over £50 million a year to clear in England alone. Dumped waste leaches toxins into soil and waterways, kills vegetation, and provides breeding grounds for rats and other pest species.

Water, soil, and air pollution affect virtually every UK habitat — from agricultural run-off choking rivers with nitrates and phosphates, to plastic microparticles infiltrating marine food chains. Pollution is a leading cause of fish kills, harmful algal blooms, and the collapse of invertebrate populations.

Environmental emergencies — including wildfires, chemical spills, oil slicks, and severe flooding — can devastate habitats and wildlife populations in hours. Climate change is making such events more frequent and severe across the UK, particularly large heath and moorland fires in dry summers.