(a species of owlet moth (Noctuid)) Some caterpillars, after they emerge from their egg, can increase their weight by 25,000 times.

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Identification guides and keys

There are thousands of species of wildlife in the UK and many of them can be seen in your garden, local park or nearby woodland. Follow the Museum's easy-to-use guides to help identify the creatures you find, from bumblebees and butterflies to bluebells and lichens.

  • Needles of a coniferous tree
    Identify trees

    An identification key, factsheets and guidance to help you identify trees.

  • Hybrid (non-native) bluebells with creamy-blue pollen but no trace of a blue colour in the anthers
    Identify your bluebells

    Find out how to identify whether your bluebells are native bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, or non-native species, by looking at the colour of the pollen and the shapes of the flower.

  • A bumblebee, Bombus sp., collecting nectar from a flower
    British bumblebee identification guide

    This British bumblebee identification guide is an easy-to-use key designed to help you identify bumblebees by looking at the insects' colour patterns.

  • Walking with woodlice
    Woodlouse identification key

    This simple key will help you to identify the woodlice that you are most likely to find.

  • Lichens
    Lichens

    Explore the amazing diversity of lichens and find out why they are the canaries of the fungal world.

  • British earthworms
    Identify British earthworms

    Familiarise yourself with the common British earthworm species - their characteristics, what they eat and where they live.

  • Common frog, Rana temporaria
    Identification forums

    Have you found a fossil on the seashore or a spider in your bathroom and you don't know what it is? Our experts can help - just ask them a question in the forum.

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