British spring wildlife

Discover the UK's early spring wildlife, including what's in season this month and best spectacles to see

A female hairy-footed flower bee. © Ian Redding/Getty

British wildlife in March

A pair of blue tits at a nestbox. © Stef Bennett/Getty

Wildlife Gardening

Garden bird nestbox guide: which species use them, how and when to clean them, how to put them up

SHIREBROOK, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: A road sign warns drivers to beware of migratory toads crossing the road. In Shirebrook, Nottinghamshire, England. On 20th April 2015.

What triggers toads to migrate in spring?

Frog with frogspawn. © Richard Warner/EyeEm/Getty

How to rear froglets in your home

When the puffins land onto breeding islands in April, they’re often a little nervous as they return and check their burrows. This puffin was walking in and out of burrows for almost 10 minutes- maybe he had forgotten which was his! © Danielle Connor

British spring wildlife in pictures

Buff-tailed bumble-bee (Bombus terrestris) worker nectaring on scorpionweed (Phacelia tancetifolia) flower in conservation margin at RSPB's Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire. May 2011.

Identify Wildlife

How to identify spring bees with our illustrated guide

Reviews

Read our reviews of wildlife books, games, podcasts, programmes, and gifts.

Gift box wrapped by kraft brown paper with blue jeans ribbon and handmade wooden hedgehog small toy. © Elena Popova/Getty

People & Wildlife

30+ wildlife gifts for nature lovers

Father and daughter reading in bedroom. © MoMo Productions/Getty

People & Wildlife

60+ wildlife and nature books for children and teenagers

Family sitting on a couch, playing a memory game. © Getty

People & Wildlife

The best wildlife-themed games

Woman reading a book outdoors. © Atsushi Yamada/Getty

People & Wildlife

Books on mental health, mindfulness and connecting with nature

An emperor penguin chick holds out its wings in front of the rest of its colony. © Getty Images

Best nature documentaries to stream

© Getty

People & Wildlife

30+ books on insects and invertebrates, including books for children

Teenage girl listening with headphones. © Getty

How to listen to podcasts, and the best wildlife and nature ones to listen to

Book with shells. © Getty

People & Wildlife

20+ books on marine and coastal wildlife, including books for children

Wildlife gardening

Welcome a range of species to your garden with our free how-to guides

Small tortoiseshell butterfly on ivy flowers. © Estuary Pig/Getty

Wildlife Gardening

Best plants to grow for pollinators in your wildlife garden

Tadpoles. © Pauline Lewis/Getty

How to monitor your garden wildlife

European hedgehog on grass

European hedgehog guide: where to see and how to help hedgehogs

Girl and boy crouched on lawn with the equipment for building a small pond in a container and a wheelbarrow. © DK Images

How to make a small pond for wildlife

Making a nestbox. © Getty

How to make a garden bird nestbox

Add the tubes. © Sarah Cuttle

Help your local solitary bees and make a bee hotel

More wildlife gardening

News

The latest wildlife and environmental news

Chris Packham with an octopus, a master of disguise due to its camouflage ability. © Lucy Bowden/BBC

When is Chris Packham’s Animal Einsteins on TV?

Bushfire. © Robert Irwin (Australia)/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Robert Irwin wins the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

Cranes in flight, RSPB

Record-breaking breeding year for Britain’s common crane

Animal species

Learn more about your favourite wildlife species, including identification, diet and habitat

A musk ox in the snow at Dovrefjell National Park, Norway. © Dgwildlife/Getty

Musk oxen guide: where they’re found, why they fight, and they protect their young

A blue tit perched on a twig. © Philip Croft/BTO

Blue tit guide: how to identify, what they sound like, and what type of nest box they use

Smooth snake in Dorset. © David Tipling/Universal Images Group/Getty

Smooth snake guide: how to identify, and why they are rare in the UK

More animal species

Photo galleries

See incredible images of wildlife

Wide angle category winner, and overall Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021: Sharks' Skylight, French Polynesia. © Renee Capozzola (USA)/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021

Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021

The Embrace. © Sergey Gorshkov/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 – Winning images

Two emperor penguin chicks aged six to eight weeks brooding on parents' feet, one vocalising. Atka Bay, Antarctica. September. © Stefan Christmann

Penguin: A Story of Survival

Smiley: Mediterranean parrotfish in El Hierro, Canary Islands. © Arthur Telle Thiemenn

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020 – finalists

Plants

Learn modifferent species of plants

Willow tree. © Andrea Kennard Photography/Getty

Test your tree general knowledge

Honeybee on a sweet pea. © Frank Sommariva/ImageBroker/Alamy

Can plants hear?

Himalayan balsam in flower in Germany. © Getty

Invasive non-native plants in the UK, and the bioagents used to control them

An urban wildflower meadow on Park Square roundabout in the centre of the city of Sheffield, Yorkshire. © Matthew Taylor/Alamy

Seeds of controversy: the debate around sown vs native road verges

How to

Search free guides on foraging, homemade crafts and outdoor skills

Gorse flowers. Callum Redgrave-Close/Getty

How to make gorse kick mead

Illustrations by Alan Batley

How to make an orange birdfeeder

Nettle soup. © Sanjida O'Connell

How to make nettle soup

Bark rubbing. © Lynn Dicks

How to make a bark rubbing

A female blackbird collects nesting material. © Dagmar Schelske/EyeEm/Getty

How to make a nesting bundle

Illustration by Stuart Jackson Carter

Wildlife Gardening

How to make a bee-friendly garden

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People & wildlife

Interviews with wildlife conservationists and the latest science projects

Accessibility just requires forthought and good design © Eric Smith

People & Wildlife

Wildlife for all: why and how to improve access

Family out walking in the park. © Frank and Helena/Getty

COVID-19 strengthens our connection with nature

Arctic wildlife 1. Eric Smith

People & Wildlife

Wildlife, sustainability, and cruise ship tourism in the Arctic

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