Goose barnacles often wash up on our shores attached to flotsam after big storms.

The common octopus is a highly intelligent, active predator. It even has a secret weapon - special glands produce a venom that it uses to incapacitate its prey!

Unlike many of its relatives, this shimmering shieldbug is a predator, feasting on caterpillars and a variety of other insects.

This strange furry creature often found washed ashore after storms is actually a kind of worm!

One of our largest soldier beetles, often found on flowers where they hunt other insects.

Found in compost heaps and under stones in gardens, the flat-backed millipede is a common minibeast. It is an important recycler of nutrients, feeding on decaying matter.

Selfheal is a low-growing, creeping plant that likes the short turf of grasslands, roadside verges or even lawns. Its clusters of violet flowers appear in summer.

This dashing diving duck is a winter visitor to the UK's seas, coastal lakes and occasionally inland water bodies.