Black Poplars are large, distinctive trees (reaching heights of up to 30m) that usually grow as individuals in open situations rather than within woodland. The bark is grey-brown and fissured. The leaves are longer than they are broad and turn yellow in the autumn.

black poplar © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

• Whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus)
• Brandt's bat  (Myotis brandti)
• Daubenton's bat  (Myotis daubentonii)
• Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri)
• Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
• Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)
• Noctule (Nyctalus noctula)
• Lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros)
• Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus)

daubenton's bat © John Altringham

There are 16 species of bat in Britain, 8 of which are found in the Hambleton District. These are common and soprano pipistrelles, noctule, brown long-eared, natterer’s, daubenton’s, whiskered and brandts bats. There are also some historical records for the lesser horseshoe bat. Bats vary in size from the common pipistrelle which weighs 5g and has a wingspan of about 20cm, to the noctule which weighs around 30g and has a wingspan of up to 45cm.

natterer's bat © John Altringham

The only mammals to have mastered powered flight, bats emerge around dusk to hunt small flying insects using ultrasound. They roost in various structures including houses, mature trees, caves and old buildings. From October/ November until March bats hibernate.

The Song Thrush is similar in size to the blackbird. It has brown upperparts and dark spots on the underneath. The throat and belly are paler. It has a distinctive song with each of the separate phrases often repeated more than once. It breeds in woodland, hedgerows and in parks and gardens with suitable shrubby cover.

song thrush © Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images www.rspb-images.com

This bird is recognisable by its short, deep bill joining the curve of its relatively large head. It has rather short and rounded wings and a squared tail. Both the males and females have a black cap, wings and tail, whitish wing patches and a white rump, which is very distinctive when seen from behind as the bird flies off. The male bird has a blue-grey mantle with pinkish underparts while the female has a dark grey mantle and back of the neck with pale-brown underparts tinged pink. The bullfinch is similar in appearance to the chaffinch and therefore could be confused with this species.

It inhabits woodland, orchards, thickets, wasteland, parks, mature gardens and farmland, where it feeds on buds and seeds. The young are fed on insects.

bullfinch © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

• grey partridge
• turtle dove
• skylark
• starling
• tree sparrow
• house sparrow
• linnet
• yellowhammer
• corn bunting 

This plan includes all the farmland species listed above.

tree sparrow © Andy Hay, RSPB Images www.rspb-images.com

• corn flower
• spreading hedge-parsley
• small-flowered catchfly
• shepherd's needle
• loose silky bent
• broad-fruited cornsalad
• yellow vetchling
• rough poppy
• prickly poppy

Bumblebees are important pollinators. They have special well-developed mouth parts for sucking up nectar. Pollen is picked up by the feathery hairs on the bee and carried to other flowers. Some species are known to carry up to 60% of their own body weight in pollen.

Bombus lucorum © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

The spotted flycatcher is brown or grey-brown above with darker brown stripes on the crown. The underparts are greyish white with brown streaks on the breast and the tail is squared. The juvenile is paler and is more mottled in appearance. This bird has a habit of flicking its wings and wagging its tail.

It nests in an open cavity in a tree, in creepers and ivy in open woodland, parkland, plantation, garden and hedgerows with trees or in houses or other buildings, in places such as window ledges or holes in the wall.

spotted flycatcher © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

The lapwing has a characteristic long crest that extends from the back of it’s head. It is green-black and white and has relatively short legs. The wings appear very broad and rounded when in flight.

Most commonly found on farmland, this bird is gregarious and is often seen in large flocks during the winter months.

lapwing © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

lapwing nest © James Mortimer

A type of sand piper, this species has a long bill and legs. Colouration is an olive-brown above and white below, with a pale ring around the eye. The tail is barred and the bases of the bill and legs are red.

The redshank is a wetland bird, found on marshes, moors and wet meadows. It builds its nests in grass tussocks.

redshank © Andy Hay, RSPB Images www.rspb-images.com

A slender bird approximately 16cm tall with long legs and tail. Colouration varies, however a typical male will have a green back and a yellow underneath.  There are two whitish-yellow bars on the mostly black wings. The head is bright yellow with a yellow-green crown and cheeks.

Yellow wagtails are summer migrants, which winter in Africa, India and South-east Asia. In Britain they are usually found near water in meadows or marshes. Sometimes they are also found in cereal crops.

The cowslip has yellow flowers, up to 10mm across, with orange streaks on the inside of the petals. The flowers are grouped into ten or more in a drooping umbel. The wrinkled leaves are rounded at the end and taper to the base of the leaf stalk. It is known to hybridise with primrose (Primula vulgaris).

Cowslips are found in grasslands, meadows and open woodlands on calcareous soils.

cowslip © Robert Masheder

Many orchids are very rare, and some only produce leaves or flower stems at intervals and therefore are sometimes thought to have disappeared from a site when they have not.

common spotted orchid © James Mortimer

An erect plant with a basal rosette of hairy, toothed leaves. Stem leaves are hairless, grey-green and arrow-shaped and clasp the stem. The flower is creamy yellow and about 6mm across.

tower mustard © Simon Williams, Plantlife

The turtle dove is relatively small when compared to other doves. It has a dark-spotted brown back and inner wings, bluish outer wings and a dark, almost black tail with white around the edge. The head is grey and there is a conspicuous black and white striped patch on the neck.

This bird nest in bushes, thickets or orchards within open country with hedges or small woods.

The head, breast and upper parts of the skylark are brown with streaks, whilst the underneath is white. It has a very distinctive high-pitched musical song. A ground nesting bird, the skylark is often seen hovering high above the ground during the breeding season, on moors, fields, marshes and sand dunes.

skylark © James Mortimer

This butterfly is frequently found on downland, dunes, heaths, embankments, woodland rides and occasionally damper areas. The caterpillar feeds on greater bird’s-foot-trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus) and lesser bird’s-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).

dingy skipper © James Mortimer

This moth inhabits birch (Betula spp.) woodland and boggy moorland and hillsides. The larvae feed on birch or bog myrtle (Myrica gale).

argent and sable moth © James Mortimer

This, one of Britain’s largest carnivores, has a long slender body with short legs, webbed feet, and a thick muscular tail.

Otters usually inhabit rivers, canals and lakes. However in some areas they are also coastal. They mainly feed on fish. Other prey items include mammals, amphibians and invertebrates such as crayfish.

otter © Whitfield Benson, North Yorkshire County Council

Due to its’ nocturnal habits and shy nature, the otter is rarely seen in the wild. Its’ presence is often given away by field signs such as footprints and spraint (droppings).

otter footprint © James Mortimer

otter spraint © James Mortimer

Water voles are thought to be the UK’s fastest declining mammal. They are found on the banks of rivers, ditches, streams and ponds, where they feed on the vegetation. They are recognisable by their small ears, blunt nose and brown furry tail.

Water voles are often confused with the brown rat, however this mammal has much larger and obvious ears, a more pointed nose and a long hairless tail.

water vole © James Mortimer

water vole footprints © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

water vole latrine © James Mortimer

A small bird, similar in appearance to the willow tit (see below). Can be distinguished by its smaller black bib, uniform wings, square tail and glossy black crown. The marsh tit has a distinctive voice which can be used for identification. Despite its name, this species is not usually found in marshes, but more often deciduous or mixed woodlands.

The willow tit has a black crown, whitish cheeks and large black bib. The tail is rounded unlike the square tail of the marsh tit. This species is found in wet places such as lake sides. It nests in holes in rotting trees.

willow tit © Robert Masheder

Brown above and white below, the little ringed plover has dark patches on its neck and head, and a distinctive bright yellow eye-ring. Its legs are a dull yellow colour. The eye-ring is not as obvious in the juvenile, however young birds have a yellow-brown forehead. The ringed plover is similar.

The little ringed plover inhabits flooded gravel pits and river islands, where it nests on areas of bare ground. It feeds exclusively on insects. A Summer visitor, this species arrives in March and heads back to Africa in late June or early July.

 The sand martin is a small bird, measuring 12cm. The top of its head is brown, as are the other upper parts and a band across the breast. Underneath it is white. Mainly feeds over water, in open country with ponds or rivers. The sand martin builds nests in tunnels in riverbanks, cliffs or sand/ gravel pits.

tansy beetle © Geoff Oxford

Britains’ only native freshwater crayfish, this species is found in clean rivers, streams and canals (usually calcareous). It is an omnivore, feeding on a wide variety of animal and plant matter. Predators would include the otter, mink, brown rat, some birds and fish such as perch, trout chub and pike. In some parts of England and Wales it has declined due to the spread of non-native signal crayfish which spread the crayfish plague fungus.

white-clawed crayfish © Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Usually less than 10cm in length, the white-clawed crayfish has a smooth body which can vary in colour from olive to dark brown. The claws are brown above and whitish below. The native crayfish can be confused with the signal crayfish, introduced from America. The signal crayfish however has a parallel-sided rostrum and a white-turquoise patch on each claw (see diagram).

crayfish identification © James Mortimer

The depressed river mussel has a green or green-brown shell and can reach more than 10cm in length, although usually it is about 6cm long. Males are often bigger than females. It lives in the bottom sediment of rivers near the banks. Unlike the other mussel species, it usually buries itself completely in the mud, leaving its foot out to anchor itself into the substrate. It is known to live for up to 18 years. The larvae parasitise fish, probably perch and sticklebacks.

depressed river mussel © James Mortimer

Adults of the stiletto fly are associated with sandy river banks, especially where sand shoals have built up at flood level. It needs open unshaded areas, although the exact requirements are not known. The larvae are predators that inhabit the loose sand.

The removal of sandy sediment from rivers and river banks has caused this fly to become rare in Britain. The deepening and canalisation of water courses has also had a negative effect.

Spiriverpa lunulata