Species in Bexley

Bexley is home to a huge number of different plants and animals.

Some of these are rare or declining, and Bexley's populations of them are of regional or national importance. These include the water vole and stag beetle – rare species with strong populations in Bexley, and three plants – wild daffodil, lesser calamint and marsh sow-thistle, each found at a single site in Bexley and nowhere else in London.

But a species does not have to be rare or threatened to be interesting and important. They may have strong cultural significance, or simply look or sound beautiful. The carpets of bluebells in our woodlands in spring, the song thrush singing in the garden, the bright blue flash of a kingfisher – all of these are special too.

Below are just a handful of the plants and animals which can be seen in Bexley.

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  Bats

  At least nine species of bat are found in Bexley. All are protected by law. Bats need places to roost and lots of insects to feed on.

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  Black poplar

  This is a rare native tree, typically found in damp places. There are fine examples in Foots Cray Meadows and Danson Park.

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  Bluebell

  The carpets of bluebells in our ancient woods are one of the highlights of spring.

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  Common lizard

  Common lizards can be found in several places in Bexley, such as East Wickham Open Space.

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  Kingfisher

  This dazzlingly colourful bird can be seen along Bexley's rivers.

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  Lesser calamint

  A small relative on mint that likes dry soils. The only colony in London is at Lesnes Abbey.

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  Newts

  The specially-protected great crested newt is found in a few ponds in the south of the borough. The smooth newt breeds in ponds and ditches throughout Bexley.

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  Skylark

  The song of the skylark, delivered from high in the air, is a classic sound of the British countryside, and can be heard in several places in Bexley.

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  Stag beetle

  This magnificent beetle, Britain's largest, has a stronghold in south-east London and is a common sight in gardens and parks in early summer.

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  Water vole

  The once-common water vole, made famous as Ratty in Wind in the Willows, is now rare and protected, but still survives in Bexley's ditches and grazing marshes.

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  Wild daffodil

  The wild ancestor of many cultivated daffodils provides a spectacular spring display in Lesnes Abbey Wood, its only natural site in London.