Common backswimmer
The fearsome common backswimmer hunts insects, tadpoles and fish. It uses its oar-like legs to swim upside-down under the water's surface where unsuspecting prey can be found.
The fearsome common backswimmer hunts insects, tadpoles and fish. It uses its oar-like legs to swim upside-down under the water's surface where unsuspecting prey can be found.
Our Cardiff "Wilder youth" forum member Lauren writes about the work we've been doing behind the scenes to get ready for the next stage of the Save our Taff campaign.
Escaped or intentionally freed from fur farms in the 1960s, the American mink is now well established in the UK. Its carnivorous nature is a threat to our native water vole and seabird populations…
Forming mats of straight, bright green stems, Common spike-rush does, indeed, look like lots of tightly clustered 'spikes' near the water's edge of our wetland habitats.
Sorrel has been birdwatching all of her life with her grandparents. She is passionate about promoting wildlife to children at her school and through her local Wildlife Watch group. She loves the…
Not to be confused with the ‘jewel anemone’ which resides in deeper waters, the gem anemone is just as wonderful a find on the rocky shore!
Hi, I’m Maddy and I’ve joined (or returned to) the team as Communications Officer. My journey with WTSWW has been an interesting one, going from volunteer, to intern, to the Board of Trustees, and…
Great reedmace is familiar to many of us as the archetypal 'bulrush'. Look for its tall stems, sausage-like, brown flower heads and green, flat leaves at the water's edge in our…
These tiny habitats, the source of our streams and rivers, are fundamental to the well-being of whole water catchments.
The graceful great crested grebe is a familiar sight on our lakes and reservoirs, and is well-known for its elaborate courtship dance, during which it rises vertically out of the water and shakes…
As its name suggests, Himalayan balsam is from the Himalayas and was introduced here in 1839. It now an invasive weed of riverbanks and ditches, where it prevents native species from growing.