The common mussel is a familiar sight on shores all around the UK and is a favourite food of people, seabirds and starfish alike.

The distinctive sight of a spoonbill is becoming increasingly common in the east and southwest of England, with colonies of breeding birds now established.

Native oysters are a staple of our seas and our plates - but our love of their taste has lead to a sharp decline all around the UK.

As its name suggests, creeping bent runs along the ground before it bends and grows upright. It is a common grass of arable land, waste ground and grasslands.

The yellow, star-like flowers of bog asphodel brighten up our peat bogs, damp heaths and moors in early summer, attracting a range of pollinating insects.

The umbrella-like clusters of white, frothy flowers of cow parsley are a familiar sight along roadsides, hedgerows and woodland edges.

If you spot a crawling shell next time you're at the seaside, take a closer look… it might be a hermit crab!

This large, fluffy-looking moth is on the wing in July and August, but you might spot a caterpillar at almost any time of year.

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…

Pepper saxifrage is a classic plant of unimproved hay meadows and roadside verges. It's upright, branching stems carry umbrella-like clusters of creamy-yellow, flowers in summer.

Their long narrow shells are a common sight on our shores, especially after storms, but the animals themselves live buried in the sand.