These little critters are related to the woodlice you find in your garden and play a very important role on rocky shores.

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

Found around our coasts during the breeding season, the little tern is a diminutive seabird. Despite its size, it performs remarkable aerial courtship displays.

Found on rocky shores and seabeds, the Keyhole limpet gets its name from the little hole at the tip of its shell.

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

The red admiral is an unmistakable garden visitor. This black-and-red beauty may be seen feeding on flowers on warm days all year-round. Adults are mostly migrants, but some do hibernate here.

Their empty, delicate pink or yellow shells can often be found washed up on beaches, but the animals themselves live buried in the sand all around the coasts of the UK.

This sponge is found on rocky shores around the UK and looks like a thick bready crust (if you use your imagination a bit!).

This sea snail is abundant on rocky shores around the UK. It is an active predator, feasting on mussels and barnacles before retreating to crevices to rest.

Bell heather is our most familiar heather. In summer, it carpets our heaths, woods and coasts with purple-pink flowers that attract all kinds of nectar-loving insects.

This stunning hermit crab has only returned to our southern shores in recent years. Let us hope it stays for good this time!