Thornback ray
The most commonly encountered ray around the British Isles, it's easy to see where the thornback ray got its name from - just check out the spines on its back!
The most commonly encountered ray around the British Isles, it's easy to see where the thornback ray got its name from - just check out the spines on its back!
The spotted ray is one of the smallest species of skate, growing to only 80 cm.
The undulate ray has beautiful wavy patterns on its back, which helps it camouflage against the sandy seabed.
Juvenile sand lizards bred in captivity have been released on Winfrith Heath to attempt to restore the population of this rare species to a self-sustaining level. Initially 23 juveniles were…
This large skate has tiny, prickly spines all over its back.
It’s easy to identify this distinctive skate from the black and yellow marbled eye spots on each wing.
Plant flowers that release their scent in the evening to attract moths and, ultimately, bats looking for an insect-meal into your garden.
Chamomile releases a beautiful, apple-like scent when crushed. For this reason, it was used in Elizabethan times as a plant for lawns and seats! Today, it is scarce in the wild, its grassland…
The metallic-green Musk beetle lives up to its name: it releases a musky-smelling secretion when it defends itself. It is a longhorn beetle, so has lengthy antennae. Look for it near wetlands in…
Anne’s garden provides an amazing place for wildlife. She has helped rescue hedgehogs and released them to start a life in the wild again from there. Her camera traps allow her to see when they…
Beavers have successfully bred in Dorset for the first time in over 400 years. Trail cameras inside our enclosed site have captured images of a young beaver, known as a kit and its mother,…
On 8 February 2021, a pair of adult beavers were released into an enclosed site in West Dorset as part of a scientific study looking at the impacts that beavers have on their environment. Project…