Herring gull
The herring gull is the typical 'seagull' of our seaside resorts, though our coastal populations have declined in recent decades.
The herring gull is the typical 'seagull' of our seaside resorts, though our coastal populations have declined in recent decades.
This long-lived bivalve can be found buried in the sand on the south and west coasts of the UK.
Herb-robert is a low-growing plant, with small, pretty, pink flowers. Look for it in shady spots in woodland, hedgerows and coastal areas.
The fluffy, white heads of common cotton-grass dot our brown, boggy moors and heaths as if a giant bag of cotton wool balls has been thrown across the landscape!
The sinuous otter is an excellent swimmer and can be seen hunting in wetlands, rivers and along the coast - try the west coast of Scotland, West Wales, the West Country or East Anglia for the best…
The rare natterjack toad is found at just a few coastal locations, where it prefers shallow pools on sand dunes, heaths and marshes.
Sprinkled with diminutive, short-living flowers in spring and parched dry by July, this is a habitat of heathlands, coastal grasslands and ancient parkland.
The brown shrimp blends perfectly with its seabed home and is found all around the coasts of the UK.
The Brown argus favours open, chalk and limestone grasslands, but can also be spotted on coastal dunes, in woodland clearings and along disused railways.
The Yellow star-of-Bethlehem is a woodland plant that lives up to its name - it displays starry, gold flowers in an umbrella-like cluster in early spring.
This huge gull can be seen around most of the UK's coasts in summer, with some venturing inland in winter.