This jewel like leaf beetle is an incredibly scarce species which is only found in wetland habitats.

The variable damselfly looks a lot like the azure damselfly, but is much less common throughout most of the UK.

These large rocky shore fish look like they belong in deeper waters, but they are the find of the day for any rockpooler!

This colonial creature looks like an old-fashioned quill - that's where the name sea pen comes from.

Look out for the white, umbrella-like flower heads of lesser water-parsnip along the shallow margins of ditches, ponds, lakes and rivers. When crushed, it does, indeed, smell like parsnip!

The all-black carrion crow does not nest in colonies like the similar rook. It can be seen almost everywhere.

With yellow-and-black bands, the giant horntail looks like a large wasp, but is harmless to us. The female uses her long, stinger-like ovipositor to lay eggs in pine trees, where the larvae then…

Spot these tall, prehistoric looking birds standing like a statue on the edge of ponds and lakes, contemplating their next meal.

This hefty diving bird is a winter visitor to the UK, where it can be seen around the coast or occasionally on large inland lakes.

This sponge is found on rocky shores around the UK and looks like a thick bready crust (if you use your imagination a bit!).