Surrey's wildlife | Surrey Wildlife Trust

Dartford warbler

© Jon Hawkins

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Surrey's wildlife

Habitats A-Z (https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/wildlife-explorer)

Species A-Z (https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/species)

Key species

Surrey is home to many iconic wildlife species, some of which are found in on just a handful of sites across the UK. We also host important populations of around 30% of the rapidly-declining species afforded ‘priority’ conservation status under UK law, most of which now reside within protected priority habitats and are reliant on our efforts to conserve them in this county.

Nightjar

Nightjar

The easiest way to find out if the nocturnal and well-camouflaged nightjar is about is to listen out for its distinctive 'churring…

Silver-studded Blue butterfly

Silver-studded blue

The dazzling silver-studded blue is a rare butterfly of heathland habitats, mainly in southern England. It has undergone severe…

Dartford warbler

Dartford warbler

The small, brown Dartford warbler is most easily spotted when warbling its scratchy song from the top of a gorse stem. It lives on…

Small Blue butterfly

Small blue

The small blue's name is a little misleading: it is our smallest butterfly, but only shows a dusting of blue on brown wings. It is…

Smooth snake

Smooth snake

The rare smooth snake can only be found at a few heathland sites in the UK. It looks a bit like an adder, but lacks the distinctive zig-…

Sand lizard

Sand lizard

The sand lizard is extremely rare due to the loss of its sandy heath and dune habitats. Reintroduction programmes have helped establish…

Skylark

Skylark

The song of the skylark has been the subject of many great musical and literary works. A quintessential feature of our farmland and…

Hazel dormouse

Hazel dormouse

Hazel dormice are hard to spot – not only do they only come out at night, but they are also only found in very few places in the UK.…

Cowslip

Cowslip

One of our most familiar spring flowers, the cowslip brightens up ancient meadows and woodlands with its egg-yolk-yellow, nodding blooms…

Stag Beetle

Stag beetle

Famous for its fearsome jaws, the stag beetle does not have the bite to match. Look for it in woods, parks and gardens in South East…

Bee Orchid

Bee orchid

The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up…

Glow-worm

Glow-worm

The glow-worm is not actually a worm, but a beetle. Males look like typical beetles, but the nightly glow of a female is unmistakeable…

Adder

Adder

Our only venomous snake, the shy adder can be spotted basking in the sunshine in woodland glades and on heathlands.

Round-leaved Sundew

Round-leaved sundew

The carnivorous lifestyle of the round-leaved sundew makes this heathland plant a fascinating species. The round leaves have sticky,…

Raft Spider

Raft spider

The chocolate-brown raft spider inhabits bogs and ponds. It can be spotted sitting near the water, its legs touching the surface. When…

Heathland landscape

© Surrey Wildlife Trust

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Helping Surrey's wildlife

Volunteering in Surrey

Outdoor & practical volunteering

Join one of our practical volunteer groups across the county and help us care for the wild places you love!

Ben's bug hotel

Helping wildlife at home

Simple actions to help wildlife on your patch

Community hedge planting

Community Action

Resources for community groups looking to take action for nature in Surrey.