The aromatic fragrance of Large thyme can punctuate a summer walk over a chalk grassland. It is an evergreen that grows low to the ground, with erect spikes of tiny, lilac flowers appearing over…

The whooper swan is a very rare breeding bird in the UK, but has much larger populations that spend winter here after a long journey from Iceland. It has more yellow on its yellow-and-black bill…

With a torpedo-shaped body and long, narrow wings, the privet hawk-moth is a striking garden visitor. But the caterpillars really stand out: lime-green, with purple streaks and a black hook at the…

The large, fluffy caterpillars of this moth are often seen in summer and early spring.

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

This distinctive bug is often seen basking on low-growing plants in spring and summer.

A delicate wader, Red-necked phalaropes are as comfortable swimming as they are on land. Unusually for birds, the females are more brightly coloured than the males.

Bilberries appear in summer and early autumn and are often turned into jams, pies and sauces...