Wild Essex species: smooth sow-thistle

Wildlife

Invertebrates

Dragon- & damselflies Larger butterflies Smaller butterflies Day-flying moths Beetles Grasshoppers & crickets Flies Bees, wasps & ants Spiders

Other vertebrates

Reptiles & amphibians Larger mammals Smaller mammals

Birds

Sparrows, tits, finches Warblers Chats & thrushes Buntings, larks, pipits, wagtails Swallows, gulls, terns Breeding waders Passage & winter waders Ducks Grebes, divers, crakes Swans, geese, herons Raptors, owls, kingfisher Doves & gamebirds Crows & woodpeckers

Plants

Trees Shrubs & climbers Ferns Saltmarsh & sea-shore Invasive aliens

Flowering plants

Buttercup family Cabbage family (crucifers) Carrot family (umbellifers) Daisy family (composites) Mint family (labiates) Pea family (legumes) Rose family Orchids

Places to go

Top sites

Ancient woods

Belfairs Park Broaks Wood Brookes Reserve Chalkney Wood Hillhouse Wood Hockley Woods Norsey Wood Parndon Woods and Common Pound Wood Rowney Wood Shadwell Wood Shut Heath Wood Stour Wood Weeleyhall Wood West Wood

Flower-rich grasslands

Curtismill Green Danbury Common Danbury Ridge Galleywood Common Harlow & Latton Commons Hilly Fields Hunsdon Mead Langdon Hills CP Langdon Nature Reserve Hilly Fields Mill Meadows Roding Valley Meadows Tiptree Heath Tylers Common

Ancient forests

Hainault Forest Hatfield Forest Thames Chase Forest Centre Writtle Forest

Epping Forest

Around Chingford Gernon Bushes Heart of the Forest Lord's Bushes Lower Forest Lower Forest

Parkland

Bedfords Park Belhus Woods Claybury Park Fordham Hall Estate Havering CP High Woods CP Hylands Park Marks Hall Estate The Manor (Dagnam Park) Thorndon Country Park Wanstead Park Weald Park

Estuary and coast

Abbotts Hall Farm Blue House Farm Bowers Marsh Bradwell Shell Bank Colne Point Cudmore Grove Fingringhoe Wick Hadleigh Country Park Marsh Farm CP The Naze Rainham Marshes Tollesbury Wick Wallasea Island West Canvey Marshes

Wetlands and rivers

Beam Parklands Beam Valley Country Park The Chase Nature Reserve Cornmill Meadows Cranham Marsh Davy Down Mayesbrook Park Roding Valley Park Sawbridgeworth Marsh Stanford Warren Walthamstow Marsh

Reservoirs and pits

Abberton Reservoir Chafford Gorges Nature Park Chigborough Lakes Great Holland Pits Hanningfield Reservoir River Lee Country Park Walthamstow Wetlands

Industrial relics

Canvey Wick Flitch Way Gunners Park Thurrock Thameside Nature Park Wat Tyler Country Park

Maps and lists by region

Uttlesford Braintree Colchester Tendring Maldon Central North-east London and Harlow East London South-east South-West

Wildlife walks

Shorter walks

Bedfords Park circuit Bicknacre Lanes and Woods Chafford Gorges circuit Colne Valley Epping Lower Forest Gosbecks & Roman River Hadleigh & Two Tree Lea Valley Park Mersea Island Rainham to Purfleet Stanford-le-Hope circuit Stansted and Ugley Upper Roach Valley Writtle Forest

Middling walks

Bradwell Canewdon circuit Colne-Hillhouse-Fordham Crouch Estuary Daws Heath woods Debden walks Flitch Way & Lt Easton Four canals circuit Hamford Water Hatfield Forest circuit Heybridge and Chelmer Newport to Audley End Roydon to Harlow South Woodham Ferrers Thorndon Park circuit Tollesbury Weald and Navestock Wivenhoe and Colne

Long walks

Danbury Epping Forest Langdon Hills Marks Hall & Brookes Tylers Common & Warley Upminster circular Wrabness circuit

Gardening for wildlife

The basics Pest control Know your friends Wildlife ponds Garden compost Gardening for bees Homes for bees

Plant lists

Nectar plants Butterfly food plants Night-scented plants Plants for wild bees Shrubs Small trees Hedge plants Meadows Woodland edges Pond plants Ground cover

Belongs to: daisy family

Smooth sow-thistle Sonchos oleraceus

Best time to see: May to end Oct

Key facts

A common plant on waste ground, roadside verges and weedy gardens

Loose clusters of dandelion-like flowers on a plant that can reach 2m tall

Greyish lobed leaves, clasping the stem

© Anne Burgess