The Early purple orchid is one of the first orchids to pop up in spring. Look for its pinkish-purple flowers from April, when bluebells still carpet our woodland floors. Its leaves are dark green…

Native oysters are a staple of our seas and our plates - but our love of their taste has lead to a sharp decline all around the UK.

This purply-brown seaweed is a common feature on our rocky shores and on our dinner plates.

The herring gull is the typical 'seagull' of our seaside resorts, though our coastal populations have declined in recent decades.

The marsh hair moss is the largest moss in the UK. Look out for it in damp woodland and on boggy heathlands where it forms large, green and spikey 'cushions'.

One of our most common butterflies, the meadow brown can be spotted on grasslands, and in gardens and parks, often in large numbers. There are four subspecies of meadow brown.

Sand eels are a hugely important part of our marine ecosystem. In fact, the fledgling success of our breeding seabirds entirely depends on them.