Swollen-thighed beetle
This metallic green beetle can be seen visiting flowers on sunny days in spring and summer.
Chwilio
Speckled wood butterfly - Vicky Nall
Chwilio
Yorkshire-fog
The soft, downy look of Yorkshire-fog makes it an attractive plant, even if it is considered a weed of cultivated land! It is also attractive to the caterpillars of the Small Skipper butterfly as…
Black-and-yellow longhorn beetle
This brightly-coloured beetle is often found feeding on flowers on warm days in late spring and summer.
Pignut
Pignut is a small umbellifer, with edible tubers, that is found in woods, hedges and grasslands.
Soldier beetle
One of our largest soldier beetles, often found on flowers where they hunt other insects.
Purple emperor
The male purple emperor is a stunning butterfly with a brilliant purple sheen. Look for it feeding around the treetops in woodlands, or on damp ground, animal droppings or even carrion in the…
Bryn Pydew Nature Reserve
The combination of woodland, wildflowers and butterflies means that this limestone-based reserve is buzzing with life – a real summer treat!
Horseradish
Horseradish is used as a well-loved condiment. This member of the cabbage family is actually an introduced species in the UK, but causes no harm in the wild.
Limestone pavement
Slabs of smooth grey rock, incised with deep fissures and patterned with swirling hollows and runnels sculpted by thousands of years of rainwater, form an unlikely wildlife habitat. Look a little…
Common cow-wheat
Common cow-wheat is a delicate annual that brightens up the edges of acid woodland and heaths with deep golden flowers in the summer.
Cow parsley
The umbrella-like clusters of white, frothy flowers of cow parsley are a familiar sight along roadsides, hedgerows and woodland edges.
Enchanter's nightshade
Enchanter's nightshade is a hairy plant, with rounded leaves that taper to a fine tip, and clusters of small, pinky-white flowers in summer.