Cornish natural history

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have an exceptional natural environment and a vast variety of animals and plants.  

Birds - invertebrates - mammals - trees and plants - marine life - reptiles and amphibians - places - useful resources

Birds

• Birds in Cornwall
• A guide to feeding wild birds
• Building bird nest boxes
• How you can help birds
• British Bird Books available from Amazon.co.uk

Collared dove in the rain. Photograph by Roger Driver.

Invertebrates

• Cornish invertebrates
• Amazing moths
• Asian longhorn beetle
• Checklist of butterflies in Cornwall
• Glow-worms
• Moths - a selection of images
• National Moth Night
• Large Blue butterfly reintroduction into North Cornwall
• Non-marine mollusc check list
• Atlas of  the land and freshwater molluscs of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
• British Invertebrate Books available from Amazon.co.uk

Rose chafer. Photograph by Roger Driver.

Mammals

• Mammals in Cornwall
• Mammal identification guides
• Bat conservation in Cornwall
• Bottlenose dolphins  
• Dolphin Group
• Grey seals  in Cornwall
• Hedgehogs
• Making a hedgehog hibernation house
• Cornwall Mammal Group
• Otters in Cornwall
• Cornwall Otter Group
• Otters and Rivers Project
• How to discourage unwanted badger attention to your garden
• Vanishing water voles
• What to do if you find a seal pup
• British mammal books available from Amazon.co.uk
• Latest mammal news

Badger photograph copyright Ralph Hart

Trees and plants

• Earth star fungus
• Trees and shrubs appropriate for planting in Cornwall
• How to plant a tree
• Wildlife Gardening
  • The wildflower meadow
  • Butterfly borders
  • Pond and wetland areas
  • Woodland
• British Wild flower and plant books available from Amazon.co.uk

 

Marine life

• Marine Conservation in Cornwall
• Seaquest South-West
  • Marine sightings
  • Marine strandings
• Seasearch
  • Pink sea fan survey
  • Eelgrass Survey
• Basking sharks  
• Bottlenose dolphins
• By-the-wind sailors (Velella velella)
• Cuttlefish
• Dolphin Group
• Goose barnacles
• Grey seals in Cornwall 
• Ocean sunfish
• Spirula spirula
• Turtles around Cornwall
• Leatherback turtles in Cornwall
• What to do if you find a seal pup
• Marine Life books available from Amazon.co.uk

Cuttlefish. Photograph by Cris Bunney

Reptiles and amphibians

• Reptiles and amphibians in Cornwall
• Reptile and Amphibian Group
• Get involved in our grass snake survey
• Recording form for reptiles and amphibians
• Amphibians  
• Reptile fact file  
• Adders in Cornwall
• Native reptiles and amphibians as pets
• Leatherback turtles
• Turtles around Cornwall
• Reptile and Amphibian books available from Amazon.co.uk

Places

• Cornwall Wildlife Trust Nature reserves
• Geology

Other

• Bodyline
• Conservation projects and specialist groups in Cornwall
• Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Manifesto for the Environment

Useful resources

• Publications - a list of publications available through The Wildlife Trusts
• Your local biological records centre - Cornwall is very lucky in having its own Environmental Records Centre, collecting, managing and providing information for Cornwall's benefit.
• Wildlife Information Service - WIS for short! A one-stop-shop allowing quick and effective access to reliable wildlife information.
• Links - details of other websites with information about natural history or Cornwall.
• Cornwall Wildlife Egroup - join this email community and see what other people are up to.

Cornwall's Nature Introduction Marine life Mammals .. Bats .. Bottlenose dolphins .. Grey seals .. Hedgehogs .. Otters .. Watervoles Wildlife gardening Invertebrates Herptofauna .. Reptiles .. Amphibians Geology Slugs and snails SEARCH . . . . . . . . .