House mouse
The tiny, grey-brown house mouse is one of our most successful mammals. It thrives around buildings but is less likely to be found in our houses these days due to better construction.
From parkland to window boxes, wildlife thrives in gardens
These green spaces are a lifeline for wildlife, little havens scattered through the desert of urban sprawl and intensively managed farmland. Trees and shrubs shelter miniature mammals and nesting birds, whilst feeders offer a reliable food source no matter how wild the weather is. Even a single window-ledge plant pot can make a difference, providing pollen and nectar for insects straying into the concrete jungle.
Larger parks and gardens can become a wild paradise, home to creatures you would never expect to find so close to home: grass snakes slithering through the undergrowth, foxes frolicking on lawns, and even owls peering out from the gnarled trunks of old trees.
A bit of peace and quiet
Parks and gardens are as good for us as they are for wildlife. They provide a place where we can relax, breathe in the fresh air and remind ourselves of the beauty of the wild world around us. For people living in the heart of urban areas, they offer an escape into nature that would otherwise be out of reach.
Spending time connecting with nature is proven to reduce stress and improve both our mental and physical health, and the green oases of our parks and gardens offer the perfect opportunity to do this.
Birds
Numbers of house sparrows, song thrushes, dunnocks and starlings have all declined in the countryside, and are now considered endangered. But you can help them, by providing food and places for them to breed in your garden.
Mammals
Many mammals that would have once lived in the countryside, have learnt to adapt to our towns and gardens; keep a look out for hedgehogs, foxes and house mice. There are lots of ways you can help mammals in your back garden by creating habitat and food sources.
Species you might see
Our towns and gardens are full of wildlife. Take a look at our ID pages to work out what you might have spotted!
Our gardens are vital for wildlife
The UK's gardens provide more space for nature than all the National Nature Reserves put together.
As a charity we rely on memberships
They help us look after over 2,300 nature reserves and protect the animals that call them home.
Species in urban environments
Ring-necked parakeet
The bright green ring-necked parakeet is an escapee and our only naturalised parrot; its success is likely due to warmer winters. It can be seen in the South East.
Glow-worm
The glow-worm is not actually a worm, but a beetle. Males look like typical beetles, but the nightly glow of a female is unmistakeable - lighting up to attract a mate in the darkness of their grassland habitats. Look for the adults in summer.
Waxwing
The waxwing is a colourful winter visitor. It can often be spotted in large flocks in berry-laden bushes in towns, car parks and gardens.
Wood mouse
The tiny, brown wood mouse is one of our most common rodents and is very likely to be found in the garden. It is similar to the house mouse, but has larger ears and eyes relative to its size.
Turtle dove
The turtle dove is the UK's fastest declining bird species and is on the brink of extinction. A small and pretty pigeon, it breeds in lowland England and winters in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Common frog
Our most well-known amphibian, the common frog is a regular visitor to garden ponds across the country, where they feast on slugs and snails. In winter, they hibernate in pond mud or under log piles.
Red kite
Seeing a red kite soaring high in the sky is a true delight! Once a very rare bird, thanks to successful reintroduction projects these wonderful birds can now be seen in lots of places in the UK.
Buzzard
Listen out for the cat-like, 'kee-yaa' calls of the buzzard as it soars high over farmland and woodland. Once suffering from severe persecution and pesticide poisoning, it has made a stunning comeback to most of the UK.
Pygmy shrew
The diminutive pygmy shrew has a distinctively pointy nose and tiny eyes. It lives life in the fast lane, eating every 2-3 hours to survive, and only living for a year or so. Look out for it in the garden.
Tawny owl
Tawny owls are the familiar brown owls of Britain’s woodlands, parks and gardens. They are known for their ‘too-wit too-woo’ song that can be heard at night-time.
Weasel
Weasels may look adorable, but they make light work of eating voles, mice and birds! They are related to otters and stoats, which is obvious thanks to their long slender bodies and short legs.
Devil's coach horse
A ferocious and fast predator, the Devil's coach horse beetle hunts invertebrates after dark in gardens and on grasslands. It is well-known for curling up its abdomen like the tail of a scorpion when defending itself.
Wasp spider
The wasp spider is a great mimic - looking just like a common wasp keeps it safe from predators, even though it is not dangerous itself. It can be found in southern England, but is spreading north.
Slow worm
Despite appearances, the slow worm is actually a legless lizard, not a worm or a snake! Look out for it basking in the sun on heathlands and grasslands, or even in the garden, where it favours compost heaps.
Goldfinch
The striking red crown, golden back, and bright yellow wings of the goldfinch make it one of our prettiest garden birds. It happily visits birdtables and feeders across the UK.
Pyramidal orchid
The Pyramidal orchid lives up to its name - look for a bright pinky-purple, densely packed pyramid of flowers atop a green stem. It likes chalk grassland, sand dunes, roadside verges and quarries.
Hemlock
A notoriously poisonous plant, hemlock produces umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in summer. It can be found in damp places, such as ditches, riverbanks and waste ground.
Kestrel
The kestrel is a familiar sight hovering over the side of the road, looking out for its favourite food: small mammals like field voles. It prefers open habitats like grassland, farmland and heathland, but can be seen in towns and villages.
Grass snake
The grass snake is our longest snake, but don't worry if you find one in the compost heap - it's harmless! Look out for this green and yellow beauty in grasslands and wetlands, too.
Marmalade fly
Our most common hoverfly, the marmalade fly is orange with black bands across its body. It feeds on flowers like tansy, ragwort and cow parsley in gardens, hedgerows, parks and woodlands.
Lesser spotted woodpecker
The lesser spotted woodpecker is the smallest of the UK's woodpeckers. Listen out for its drumming, which is quieter than that of the great spotted woodpecker, in woodland, parks , orchards and gardens.
Oxeye daisy
Often growing in swathes along a roadside or field margin, the oxeye daisy is just as at home in traditional hay meadows. The large, white, daisy-like flowers are easy to identify.
Zebra spider
As its name suggests, the zebra spider has the familiar black-and-white stripes of a zebra, making it very distinctive. It can be found stalking its prey on rocks, trees and walls, particularly in gardens.
Flower crab spider
The flower crab spider is one of 27 species of crab spider. The flower crab spider can alter the colour of its body to match its surroundings and to hide from prey. It is not as common as other types of crab spider.