Buxton Heath
There’s nothing like a walk on a sun-blasted heath to gain a sense of our once remote and wild countryside. This beautiful reserve is a wonderful example of heathland restoration.
There’s nothing like a walk on a sun-blasted heath to gain a sense of our once remote and wild countryside. This beautiful reserve is a wonderful example of heathland restoration.
The small heath is the smallest of our brown butterflies and has a fluttering flight. It favours heathlands, as its name suggests, as well as other sunny habitats.
Reserves Officer Robert Morgan talks migrant birds, rare moths and nathusius' pipistrelle bat.
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…
The rare heath fritillary was on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, but conservation action turned its fortunes around. It is still confined to a small number of sites in the south of England,…
The Heath bumblebee is not only found on heathland, but also in gardens and parks. It nests in small colonies of less than 100 workers in all kinds of spots, such as old birds' nests, mossy…
The pretty small tortoiseshell is a familiar garden visitor that can be seen feeding on flowers all year-round during warm spells. Overwintering adults may find resting spots in sheds, garages or…
Often found basking on tall grasses, or buzzing between stems, the small skipper is a small, orange butterfly. It prefers rough grassland, verges and woodland edges.
The small white is a common garden visitor. It is smaller than the similar large white, and has less black on its wingtips.
A prickly, tall plant, the Small teasel is closely related to the Common teasel, but has much smaller, more rounded flower heads. It prefers damp, open woodlands.
The small copper lives up to its name in both colour and size! Look out for it from April onwards in dry, sunny habitats like heathland, downland and woodland. It can be spotted in gardens, too.…
A designated National Nature Reserve, Thetford Heath is an excellent example of the vast grassland heath that once covered the Brecklands.