Despite its name, the great spider crab is actually smaller than the more common European spider crab.

As the name suggests, this beautiful brown butterfly is most common in Scotland, though it can also be seen in northern England.

A key species in the story of conservation, the avocet represents an amazing recovery of a bird once extinct in the UK. This pied bird, with its distinctive upturned bill, can now be seen on…

The dense, spiky tufts of Marram grass are a familiar sight on our windswept coasts. In fact, its matted roots help to stabilise sand dunes, allowing them to grow up and become colonised by other…

There are several species of spider that live in our wetlands, but the water spider is the only one that spends its life under the water. In its pond habitats, it looks silvery because of the air…

The lightbulb sea squirt is common around much of the UK. Its easy to see where its name came from!

This well-camouflaged woodpecker used to be a common breeding bird in Britain, but is now only likely to be seen passing through on migration.

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

The small white is a common garden visitor. It is smaller than the similar large white, and has less black on its wingtips.

This striking black-and-white moth flies during the day in open woodlands, moorlands, and bogs. It's most common on Scottish moors.

A handsome gamebird, the pheasant is an introduced species that has settled here with little problem. It can be spotted in its farmland and woodland habitats, although you'll probably hear…