Comeback kits
Once persecuted to extinction, find out how we're helping pine martens make a welcome return to the UK's woods.
Read the storyAnimals
Woods and trees are home to more wildlife than any other landscape, providing homes for thousands of species including our most loved animals.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Mammals
Trees and woods support a whole range of native mammals and some non-natives too, providing a stable habitat and food supplies.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Birds
With declining woodland bird populations, protecting woodland habitats is more important than ever, from the lush canopy to the leaf litter below.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Reptiles and amphibians
Look out for these cold-blooded creatures along woodland edges, glades, ditches and ponds. Woods are ideal for hunting and breeding, while crevices, burrows, logs and leaf litter offer perfect winter shelter.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Fish
With secretive habits and intriguing lifecycles, fish like salmon, trout and lamprey rely on woodland streams and rivers. These shady and fast-flowing watery habitats are a vital part of their survival.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Butterflies
Woodland butterflies are some of the most thrilling and colourful woodland animals. But with a 55% decrease between 1999 and 2015, protecting and increasing their woodland habitats is more important than ever.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Moths
While they may not be seen as quite as attractive as butterflies, moths have a beauty all of their own. A whole host of moth species live in woodland, using their camouflage skills to blend in with tree bark, leaves and other woodland features. There are over 2,500 species of moth in the UK.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Beetles
There are 4,200 recorded species of beetle in Britain, and more than 1,000 live in trees and woodland habitats.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Bugs
Bugs are common woodland residents, with their piercing and sucking mouth parts, which sets them apart from their beetle relatives.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Bees wasps and ants
Bees, wasps and ants all form part of the insect order Hymenoptera, a large and diverse group made up of 'membrane-winged' insects.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Spiders and harvestmen
They might not be the UK's most loved animal, but spiders are pretty special with some species thriving in woodland habitats.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Slugs and snails
Slugs and snails are key parts of the woodland ecosystem, providing food for many.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Crickets and grasshoppers
Whether they're chirruping in the tree tops or jumping around on the forest floor, many crickets and grasshoppers are found in woodland.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Centipedes and millipedes
Centipedes and millipedes are many-legged recycling machines, often thriving on the woodland floor.
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Crustaceans
Woodlice are land-based crustaceans and industrious nutrient recyclers and look under any rock or stump and they'll be there!
-
Trees woods and wildlife
Other invertebrates
Woodland supports thousands, probably millions, of insects and invertebrates that live among the leaves, under bark, in dead wood and on the woodland floor.