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 tiny wading bird is most often seen in autumn, feeding on the muddy margins of wetlands.

Sometimes called 'Marsh samphire', wild common glasswort is often gathered and eaten. It grows on saltmarshes and beaches, sometimes forming big, green, fleshy carpets.

This dazzling dragonfly can be seen darting above tree-lined ponds in certain parts of Britain.

A common moth across most of the UK. The large, hairy caterpillars are often seen in late summer.

These globe-spanning seabirds can often be seen offshore in autumn, shearing low over the waves.

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.

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