What to look for
The wildlife covered in this section of the site is divided into two main parts; animals and plants. It is only intended to be an introduction to what you might find and is a long way off being a full list of the local species. Instead I have mostly included some of the more commonly found species and, in the case of some less common, those that are easily recognised.
Animals includes all animal life and although we are surrounded by an enormous variety they can often be very hard to find. This is mainly because animals are mobile. They can move around and have developed strategies to help to keep themselves safe from predators. Some, like bats, are nocturnal so we are unlikely to find them during the day. Some, like moles, spend all or most of their time underground. Some are very small or well camouflaged so we really have to look hard to find them. Those that can fly, such as birds, are sometimes seasonal and only visit us at certain times of the year or only in very small numbers. Flying insects usually only fly as adults; the egg or larva stages can spend large parts of the year under ground or under water. Nevertheless, many animals are very common and easily seen, so there is always something to find.
Plants includes all the flowering plants, from the smallest plants to the largest trees, as well as things like ferns and mosses which don't produce flowers, and fungi and lichens which are not strictly plants. Some of these are visible all year, although they may be easier to identify at certain times, particularly when they are flowering or fruiting. Others may die back completely in the winter months so that they are only seen when the weather warms up and the plant grows above ground again.