These species are the heartbeat of restoration efforts from Penrith to Kendal.

1. Freshwater Pearl Mussel: These “centenarians” live as long as Sir David. They still reside in the River Kent near Kendal, serving as living witnesses to a century of change thanks to local efforts to save the species from extinction.  Read more about this project by the Freshwater Biological Association.

2. Atlantic Salmon: Look for them leaping in autumn at Swindale Beck at Wild Haweswater where their “re-wiggled” project has restored their natural spawning gravels. Read more about this project with Wild Haweswater.

3. Eurasian Beaver: Watch for their distinctive coppicing and dams in the Lowther Valley. Learn more about the valley’s resident beaver population here.

4. Water Vole: Listen for the “plop” in our restored becks – a sound that was nearly lost during Sir David’s lifetime. Read about the return of Water Voles to Cumbria.

5. Pine Marten: An elusive resident making a quiet but vital return to our local woodlands. Learn more about the Cumbrian Pine Marten Recovery Project. 

6. Marsh Fritillary butterfly: Found fluttering around Devil’s-bit Scabious in damp species-rich grasslands. Read about this rare butterfly’s return.  

7. Glow Worm: One of the UK’s most magical and mysterious insects plays an important role in our ecosystem. https://www.connectfornature.org.uk/shining-a-light-on-glow-worms/

The hidden workforce beneath our feet.

32. Wood ants: Tiny foresters building vast nest mounds in sunny glades.

33. Earthworm: Quiet ecosystem engineers improving soil health and drainage.

34. Fly Agaric: Known for its bright red cap with white spots, it is a common, poisonous fungus found in late summer and autumn.

35. Scarlet Elf Cup fungi: Fungi found growing on decaying hardwood in damp woodland, often on fallen branches. Folklore says that wood elves drink dew that collects inside them.

36. Honey fungus: Nature’s recycler breaking down dying wood.

37. Springtail: Minute creatures helping recycle nutrients in leaf litter.

38. Woodlouse: Moisture-loving decomposers of woodland floors.

39. Dung Beetle: Vital recyclers helping healthy grazing systems function.

Signs of the rare temperate rainforest and ancient woodlands we are working to expand.

40. Epiphytic Ferns: Fascinating plants growing directly on tree branches in humid woodland.

41. Tree Lungwort Lichen: This rainforest lichen signals exceptionally clean air.

42. Juniper: Slow-growing, aromatic shrub that clings on to our limestone scars.

43. Rowan: The “Mountain Ash,” beloved by birds and hikers alike.

44. Willow: Essential building material for our returning beavers and river restoration.

45. Sessile Oak: One of the defining trees of upland Atlantic woodland.

46. Hawthorn: Spring blossom and autumn berries supporting countless species.

47. Blackthorn: Early white blossom provides dense nesting cover for birds.

48. Alder: A native wetland tree supporting rich insect life along rivers and becks.

49. Grass of Parnassus: The official flower of Cumberland – a waxy, white star of the autumn bogs.

50. Globeflower: A quintessential Cumbrian wildflower found in species-rich grasslands.

51. Melancholy Thistle: A non-spiny, soft-leaved thistle of our damp meadows.

52. Cuckooflower: Keep an eye out for Orange-tip butterflies nearby, which lay their eggs here.

53. Cotton Grass: The iconic white tufts that dance across the high plateau.

54. Yellow Rattle: The meadow maker. Critical to restoring our rich upland hay meadows.

55. Common spotted-orchid: Widespread meadow orchid with various markings.

56. Great Burnet: A tall meadow flower of floodplain grasslands.

57. Marsh Marigold: The golden spring flower of wet ground.

58. Lady’s Mantle: Dew-catching herb of grassland and woodland edges.

59. Wood Crane’s-bill: A woodland geranium of shaded banks.

60. Downy Willow: A rare upland shrub of flushes and screes.

61. Early Purple Orchid: One of the earliest spring orchids to appear in grassland.

62. Common Butterwort: One of Cumbria’s fascinating carnivorous plants. A familiar sight in bogs, fens and limestone flushes.

63. Bird’s-eye Primrose: A rare, delicate wildflower that thrives in the limestone-rich environments.

64. River Water Crowfoot: A key river plant forming flowing underwater meadows in clean, fast-flowing Cumbrian rivers that supports fish and invertebrates.

65. Heather: A dwarf shrub that casts a pink-purple cover over our fells in Autumn

66. English Bluebell: An iconic spring flower that carpets our woodlands in the colour of lilac.

Insects, Mammals & More

67. Red Squirrel: A Cumbrian icon still thriving in strongholds across Cumbria, including from Penrith to Kendal.

68. Red Deer: The largest land mammal of the fells, often seen around Haweswater and surrounding uplands.

69. Fell Pony: A hardy, traditional Cumbrian breed grazing upland commons and shaping species-rich grasslands.

70. Roe Deer: Shy woodland deer of mixed farmland and woodland edges.

71. Belted Galloway: Sometimes known as “Oreo Cows” – hardy livestock maintaining flower-rich meadows and wet grasslands.

72. Common Pipistrelle Bat: Look out for this small bat hunting insects such as midges over water and hedgerows at twilight.

73. Sphagnum Moss: The “peat engine” behind our carbon-storing bogs, creating bog habitats over centuries.

74. Southern Hawker Dragonfly: A large dragonfly patrolling ponds and slow-flowing water.

75. Golden-ringed Dragonfly: Britain’s longest dragonfly, found along fast-flowing streams.

76. Emperor Moth: One of the UK’s largest moths, the males fly by day in search of females.

77. Fox Moth: A moorland species whose woolly caterpillars feed on heather and other upland plants.

78. Buff-tip Moth: A master of camouflage, whose adults resemble broken birch twigs when at rest.

79. Large Yellow Underwing: A nocturnal grassland moth frequently attracted to lights in summer and autumn.

80. Field Vole: A key prey species in grasslands supporting owls, kestrels and stoats.

81. Brown Hare: A fast-moving mammal of open farmland often seen boxing in spring.

82. Brown Trout: A core resident fish of the Eden river system, especially important in clean gravel rivers.

83. Common Toad: Look out for volunteer Toad Patrols – people help move these nocturnal amphibians across our roads to safety during their migration to ancestral breeding ponds.

84. European Badger: Experience a special evening with the UK’s largest land predator at Wild Haweswater’s award-winning hide.

85. Stoat: A small, agile predator of rabbits and voles.

86. European Otter: A river predator and agile swimmer of clean, fish-rich waters across Cumbria’s rivers and becks.

87. Adder: Britain’s only native venomous snake that enjoys sunny, rough ground and upland heath.

88. Mayfly: A key river insect whose short-lived summer emergence signals clean, healthy rivers across the Eden and Lowther catchments.

89. Red Mason Bee: A solitary bee nesting in old walls, cracks and farm buildings. An important pollinator of fruit trees and hedgerow blossom.

90. Green Hair Streak: A small, emerald-green butterfly of heathland edges and clearings.

91. Palmate Newt: A small amphibian of acidic upland pools.

92. White-tailed Bumblebee: A widespread pollinator of hedgerows, meadows and gardens, often active on warm spring and summer days.

93. Limestone Pavements at Great Asby Scar

94. Roman Road at High Street.

95. The historic ruins of Shap Abbey

96. The silhouette of Lowther Castle.

97. Hedgerows blossoming in spring.

98. Murmurations of starlings in winter skies.

99. Frosted peat bogs – carbon landscapes

100. Dark skies – star gazing over fells.

Join us in celebrating!

As we work to connect nature across this corridor, every sighting is a piece of the puzzle.

Share what you find at www.connectfornature.org.uk or tag us with #AttenboroughCentury.