Singing nightingale. © David Chapman

British wildlife in May

With birdsong in full force and summer knocking on the door, there’s plenty to discover this month.

Hedgehog Awareness Week

European hedgehog on grass

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

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How to make a footprint tunnel

Ben Fogle @ Mark Fisher

Wildlife Champion

Ben Fogle on why he is enchanted by hedgehogs

Amphibian Awareness Week

Common frog © Mike Lane / Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to tell the difference between a common frog and a common toad

Common toad in Devon, UK. © Mike Hill/Getty

Amphibians of the British Isles: how to identify different species, and how to help them

NEAL ARMOUR-CHELU (4)

Great crested newt guide: where they’re found, how to identify, and why they’re protected

Natterjack toad. © Chris Dresh

Natterjack toad guide: how to identify, where they’re found, and why they’re rare in the UK

A common toad. © Sandra Stanbridge/Getty

Wildlife Gardening

How you can help hibernating amphibians

Fire salamander in Kruppwald in Germany where there is an outbreak of Bsal (this individual is healthy).

Chytridiomycosis guide: what it is and why it’s endangering amphibians

Latest articles

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Photography Masterclass

Episode Four: How to use backgrounds to take a great wildlife photograph

A 7-spot ladybird on a flower. © Jacky Parker Photography/Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to identify beetles

Ben Porter with parabolic

How to make a parabolic reflector from a plant pot

Spring wildlife

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

Sunrise over bluebells in Warwickshire. © Ben Waters/Getty

Bluebell guide: how to identify the different species, and the top places to see them

Female Bombylius major in Regent's Park, London. © Steven Falk

Insects & Invertebrates

Cute and fluffy: meet the bee-flies

Hawthorn hedge in bloom. © Dan Rosenholm/Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to identify spring hedgerow species

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

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

Dunnock nest with eggs in Norfolk, UK. © David Tipling/Universal Images Group/Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to identify birds’ eggs

Reviews

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

Life in Colour. Attenborough with toucan. Cropped

Best wildlife and nature documentaries to stream

Find the best nature documentaries of all time to stream from the comfort of home with our ultimate TV guide.

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

People & Wildlife

40+ 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

20+ wildlife-themed games, including board and card games, and jigsaw puzzles

Woman reading a book outdoors. © Atsushi Yamada/Getty

People & Wildlife

Books on mental health, mindfulness and connecting with nature

A beaver collecting food and swimming towards its lodge in Scotland, UK. © Sandra Standbridge/Getty

People & Wildlife

Books on rewilding in the British Isles

© Getty

People & Wildlife

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

Teenage girl listening with headphones. © Getty

20+ wildlife and nature podcasts, and how to listen to them

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

Blue tit perched on the branch of a spring flowering crab apple tree

British garden birds guide: how to identify different species and attract them to your garden

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Wildlife Gardening

How to make a butterfly-friendly garden

Great spotted woodpecker on feeder.

Wildlife Gardening

How to make your garden wildlife-friendly

Common frog sitting on pond weed in the sunshine © Alasdair James / Getty

Wildlife Gardening

How to build and care for your wildlife pond

Illustration by Jill Calder/Central Illustration

People & Wildlife

How do you deal with 'pests' if you love wildlife?

Add the tubes. © Sarah Cuttle

Help your local solitary bees and make a bee hotel

More wildlife gardening

Animal species

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

An Amazon river dolphin in Brazil. © Mike Lane/Getty

River dolphin guide: where they live, the threats they face, and what is being done to save them

Coal tit perched on a twig. © David Waistell/BTO

Coal tit guide: how to identify, what they eat, and when they’re seen in gardens

Honeybee on a flower. © Samuel Moore/Getty

Insects & Invertebrates

Honeybee guide: how they produce honey, why they sting, and a history of beekeeping

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 more about different species of plants

Willow tree. © Andrea Kennard Photography/Getty

Test your tree general knowledge

Cowslip in flower. © Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to identify similar-looking spring wildflowers

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 guides

Search free guides on foraging, homemade crafts and outdoor skills

How to make jumping jack wraps using garlic mustard leaves

Making a nestbox. © Getty

How to make a garden bird nestbox

Nettles

How to make nettle beer

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

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How to make dandelion scones

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

Girl playing with fairy toys garden. © Getty

People & Wildlife

Nature activities for children

Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin 1. BBC Wildlife

People & Wildlife

Interview with Springwatch presenters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin

Birdwatchers

Global Bird Weekend: when it is, and how to take part

More people and wildlife

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