Identify UK snakes - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBThe adder is a greyish snake, with a dark and very distinct zig-zag pattern down its back, and a red eye. Males tend to be more silvery-grey in colour, while females are more light or reddish-brown. Black (melanistic) forms are sometimes spotted. Adders are small, around 60 to 80cm and are mostly likely to be spotted in woodland, heathland and ...
Identify caterpillars | The Wildlife Trusts
WEBA caterpillar is the larval stage of a moth or butterfly. It is the second part of their four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Many caterpillars look very different as they grow, so we've described the larger stages of the caterpillar's growth when they're often more obvious. Some are easily spotted on their favourite food plants.
Common daisy - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBThe common daisy has spoon-shaped leaves that form a rosette at the base of the plant, close to the ground and among the short grass it favours. A single stem arises carrying the flower head - this is not just one flower, but a composite of a number of tiny flowers which make up the yellow disc in the middle ('disc florets') and the surrounding ...
Stoat - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBThe stoat is a small predator, with a long, low-slung body that makes it particularly well suited to hunting small rodents and rabbits. It can easily kill an adult rabbit, which is much larger than itself, with a bite to the base of the skull. Stoats are active by day and night, and are easiest to spot in open habitats, such as sand dunes ...
Brown rat - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBThe brown rat is an incredibly adaptable mammal and can be found almost everywhere in the UK, in any habitat, all it needs is shelter and food. Brown rats are omnivorous, eating pretty much anything, from fruit and seeds to human food waste, insects, birds' eggs or even small mammals. They are particularly common around towns and cities.
Common gorse - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBCommon gorse is a large, evergreen shrub, covered in needle-like leaves and distinctive, coconut-perfumed, yellow flowers during the spring and summer. There are three similar species of gorse in the UK: common gorse is widespread and flowers form January to June; western gorse flowers in late summer and autumn and is mainly found in western UK ...
Adder - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBThe adder is a relatively small, stocky snake that prefers woodland, heathland and moorland habitats. It hunts lizards and small mammals, as well as ground-nesting birds, such as skylark and meadow pipit. In spring, male adders perform a 'dance' during which they duel to fend off competition to mate. Females incubate the eggs internally ...
Mole - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBHow to identify. The mole is unmistakable. It is a stocky little animal, covered in black, velvety fur, with tiny eyes, a long, pink nose and two big, shovel-like 'hands' for front paws. You're more likely to spot mole hills (the piled-up earth from their burrowing) than the …
Wolf spider - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBThe wolf spider is a medium-sized spider that hunts on the ground during the day; it chases down its prey and leaps on it, just like a wolf. It frequents gardens and grasslands, as well as a variety of other habitats, and can often be seen sunbathing or running across the ground. The female carries her round egg-sac underneath the back end of ...
Identify UK woodpeckers - The Wildlife Trusts
WEBIt’s our largest species, but hardly ever drums. Instead, green woodpeckers communicate with a loud call that sounds like a crazy laugh and is known as a ‘yaffle’. The green woodpecker is olive-green, with a yellow rump, red crown and black around the face. Males have a red 'moustache' edged by black, but females have an all-black moustache.
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