Wildlife explorer

Want to learn more about wildlife near you? You're in the right place, search below and discover the nature you can help protect in Kent.

Tufted vetch

A scrambling plant, Tufted vetch has violet flowers. It is a member of the pea family and can be seen along woodland edges, on scrubland and grassland, and at the coast.

Turkeytail
Turkeytail ©Les Binns

Turkeytail

The turkeytail is a very colourful bracket fungus that grows throughout the year, but is at its best in the autumn. Its circular caps can be seen growing in tiers on trees and dead wood.

Turnstone
©Peter Cairns/2020VISION

Turnstone

The turnstone can be spotted fluttering around large stones on rocky and gravelly shores, flipping them over to look for prey. It can even lift rocks as big as its own body! Although a migrant to the UK, it can be seen all year-round as different populations arrive throughout the seasons.

Turtle doves
©Luke Massey

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.

Twin-lobed Deer-fly
Twin-lobed Deer-fly ©Les Binns

Twin-lobed deer-fly

Many of us have felt the painful bite of the Twin-lobed deer-fly (a 'horse-fly') while out walking in damp grasses or woods. But mostly, it prefers to feed on the blood of cows and ponies, often becoming a pest.

Three twite perch on a wire fence. They're in winter plumage, with bright yellow beaks
Twite © Pete Richman

Twite

This small finch nests on moorlands and coastal crofts, spending the winter on the coast. The UK population has declined dramatically.

Undulate ray

The undulate ray has beautiful wavy patterns on its back, which helps it camouflage against the sandy seabed.

Male vapourer moth
Male vapourer moth © Frank Porch

Vapourer

The mohawk-sporting caterpillar of this moth is often seen on shrubs and trees in late summer. As adults the orange-brown males fly by day, but the flightless females don't stray far from their cocoon.

Variable damselfly
Male variable damselfly ©Vicky Nall

Variable damselfly

The variable damselfly looks a lot like the azure damselfly, but is much less common throughout most of the UK.

Variegated scallop

The shells of this small scallop are often found washed up on our shores and comes in lots of different colours, including pink, red, orange and purple.!

Velvet Shank
Velvet Shank ©Ben Cook

Velvet shank

The velvet shank can be found clustered on the dead and dying wood of deciduous trees, such as elm, ash, beech or oak. It has a bright orange cap and can be seen throughout winter.

Velvet swimming crab

Look out for the bright red eyes of this speedy crab in rockpools - but be careful, they're notoriously feisty and will give a painful nip!