English British Wildlife

Guide to English Wildlife

We've put together a guide to some of the online resources that offer you a wealth of information on wildlife in the UK.

General

UK Safari

The sites offers an A-Z of quick links to a range of species and topics – from amphibians through to wildlife hospitals. An online shop offers books, identification charts and equipment for wildlife enthusiasts, and there is also a dedicated members’ area. website

Wildlife Trusts

This is the site of the 47 UK Wildlife Trusts who are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. It offers a database of more than 650 species covering wild flowers, trees, insects, butterflies and moths, birds and garden wildlife. You can also search for a wildlife trust in your area, download free publications and find out how to get involved. website

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

The ‘Learn’ section includes factfiles about the world's wetlands and the wildlife that depends on them for survival. There is also a ‘Kids' Zone’ packed with fun games and activities, and a range of lesson plans for Key Stage 1/2 (primary school) and KS 2/3 (junior/lower secondary school). website

Amphibians and reptiles
Froglife
The site of this UK wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles offers online guides to the six land-based native reptiles in the UK. Also available are a number of guides to download, FAQs and advice sheets and an online ID section to help identify species. You can also find out more about the projects run by the charity, including the London Living Water Project and Ponds in the Landscape. website

The Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT)

The HCT is a UK-based charity working to conserve amphibians and reptiles. Its site offers information on native species, including a picture gallery, along with details on the UK’s Biodiversity Plan and captive breeding and release. It also details the work of the HCT as one of the UK’s leading managers of lowland dry heathland. website

Birds

British Ornithologists Union (BOU)

The BOU promotes the study of birds to understand their biology and to aid their conservation. For more than 100 years the BOU has produced The British List: a checklist of the birds that have been recorded in Britain and Ireland. You can view the guide online and find out how to take part in future studies. website

British Trust for Ornithology

The British Trust for Ornithology promotes bird conservation through volunteer-based surveys. Their Bird Facts guide is a comprehensive resource on bird species. There is also a feature on the population status of birds in the UK. website

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

The site details the work of Europe’s largest bird conservation charity, along with offering advice on looking after birds, bird watching, land management and the law relating to wild birds and their eggs. A dedicated section on things to do includes childrens’ activities and how to get involved. website

Fish

Freshwater Biological Association (FBA)

The FBA collection of information on freshwater science, built up over 70 years, covers all aspects of freshwater ecology, as well as pollution, phycology, microbiology, invertebrate taxonomy and ecology, sediment and water chemistry, aquaculture and fisheries management, and hydrology.

The FBA’s online offering includes the Fritsch Collection of illustrations of freshwater and terrestrial algae; and FreshwaterLife, a website offering data on the world’s freshwater organisms and habitats. website

FreshwaterLife

This collaborative project is a portal to information about life in fresh water. Users can search using the freshwater information search engine, or browse for information on the four topics of natural history and education, research and methods, policy and regulation, and region/country. website

Insects and spiders

Amateur Entomologists' Society

The Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES) is the UK's leading organisation for people interested in insects. There are insect factfiles, care sheets, and advice on conservation and how to become an entomologist. You can also find out more about the organisation's subscription magazines and the events and field trips that it leads. website

British Arachnological Society

The British Arachnological Society promotes the study of and wider public knowledge about arachnids, especially spiders, pseudoscorpions and harvestmen. It also maintains close co-operation between amateur and professional arachnologists through its Bulletin. The society operates the Spider Recording Scheme, which invites interested members of the public as well as experts to record information about arachnids, to contribute to a nationwide atlas. website

British Dragonfly Society

The British Dragonfly Society promotes and encourages the study and conservation of dragonflies and their natural habitats, especially in the UK. It offers a full checklist of UK species, which includes photographs and a written description, details of habitat, distribution and status and notes about similar species. website

Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust

Buglife is the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates. Its website has a ‘Discover’ section, which covers the "weird and wonderful world of bugs" and includes a learning zone and activities such as making your own wormery. You can also find out more about key conservation projects and how to get involved in the organisation’s wildlife survey and other volunteering work. website

Butterfly Conservation

This environmental charity, which is committed to the conservation of butterflies and moths, operates 33 nature reserves and is involved in 67 landscape-scale projects to conserve butterfly habitats. The site includes an A-Z of species, details first-of-the-year sightings and features key butterfly and moth species. Also included are habitat advice, details of projects, the work being carried out on nature reserves, and the survival zones. There is also a section on how to attract butterflies to gardens. website

Moths Count - National Moth Recording Scheme

Moths Count is a partnership organisation that aims to encourage interest in moths throughout the UK. It has established an ongoing National Moth Recording Scheme to improve knowledge and conservation of the 900+ species of larger moths. The website details the project, including news updates and partner details, and has a dedicated section about moths, which includes factsheets and how to find and record moths. website

UK moths

The aim of this independent site, which relies on contributions, is to illustrate as many species of UK moths as possible and to provide this information in an accessible format. More than 2,400 species have been recorded in the British Isles, and currently three-quarters of these are illustrated with almost 5000 photographs. You can search using either the the ‘Beginner's Top 20’, which is the 20 most commonly requested identifications, or by keyword. website

Snowbells at St. Leonards, Beoley - Spring is Approaching

Mammals

Mammal Society

The Mammal Society works to protect mammals, halt the decline of threatened species, and advise on all issues affecting British mammals. Along with a range of free factsheets is a ‘Fun Zone’, offering free computer screen wallpaper, mammal puzzles, and a ‘listen to the whales!’ feature. You can also find out about the society's membership, training courses and publications. website

Bat Conservation Trust

You can learn about the 17 species of bats in the UK, including where they live, what they eat and how they fly in the dark. You can also find out about bats of the world, why they are under threat and relevant legislation. Along with the latest news, there is an image library and a publications catalogue. You can also find a local group in your area or join one of the online forums. website

British Deer Society

The website of the charity, which works to ensure the survival and future of Britain’s deer, offers information on the six species found in this country. It includes background information and deer distribution and advice sheets covering hunting, deer control and legislation. website

Vincent Wildlife Trust

The Vincent Wildlife Trust is a charity specialising in mammal research and conservation in Britain and Ireland. It was founded in 1975 and has carried out important research on rare mammals ever since. Currently work is focused on the polecat, pine marten and the bats – notably Bechstein’s, Barbastelle and the Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats. Information, including research papers and reports, can be found on the Trust’s website. in addition, a wealth of information about the pine marten is available on the Trust's Prospects for 'pine martens project.'

Plants

The Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI)

The BSBI is the leading scientific society in the UK and Ireland for the study of plant distribution and taxonomy. It offers a number of online databases, including the BSBI database, which covers species names, chromosome numbers and relevant literature. Its Rare Plant Register contains details of the rarest species in the country, together with information on how they are faring. website

British Pteridological Society

The British Pteridological Society was founded in the Lake District in 1891 and soon became the focal point for fern enthusiasts throughout the UK. The website offers an introduction to ferns, which includes detailed photography. website

Plant postcode database

This website, produced by Flora-for-Fauna, lets you generate local lists of UK plants (flora) and/or animals (fauna). website

Plantlife

Plantlife is a UK charity working to protect wild plants and protect their habitats. Activities include identifying and conserving sites of exceptional botanical importance, rescuing wild plants from the brink of extinction, and ensuring that common plants don’t become rare in the wild. The Plantlife website includes information on rare and threatened species under their Back from the Brink programme, including species dossiers and management guides for landowners and farmers. Numerous other Plantlife reports and leaflets on wild plants and plant conservation are available to download from the publications page of the website.

Science and Plants for Schools

Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) works with teachers and educators to promote plant science and molecular biology. It offers a number of online guides, including The Plant Science Image Database, which contains images of plants, and the "Key for identification of British trees and shrubs", which provides a route to the identification of 80 trees and shrubs found growing wild in Britain and Ireland. These resources are suitable for a wide age range, from primary through to post-16 as well as adults. website

Woodland Trust

The website of this woodland conservation charity, which is devoted to the protection of our native woodland heritage, offers a searchable online version of its directory of the 1,000+ woods in the Trust's care. There is also an online image gallery, a range of interactive maps and access to articles from the charity’s magazine. The site also links to a Nature’s Detective website for primary age children, schools, groups and families and the Nature's Calendar for students and adults to create their own personal area on the National Phenology database and enter records.

Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn,

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