Welcome to the First Nature website...

> 1500 illustrated articles and identification guides to wildlife, wildflowers, fungi and ecology
> 4000 pictures and fact files about plants, fungi, insects, bats, birds and other animals
> Maps and detailed site guides to Nature Reserves in Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe... and much more

What's New on the First Nature website...

In our Bookshop you will find superbly illustrated guides to some of the most beautiful wildflowers, birds, mammals, insects and fungi, including beautifully illustrated location-specific guides to Wales, The Burren and The Algarve, all at very affordable prices and just a single £2-95 standard P&P charge no matter how many guidebooks you order.

Wild Orchids and Fungi are two of our major specialities, but we hope that you will enjoy the whole of the site.

NEW! Fascinated by Fungi

450 pages, over 1000 colour photographs, this book provides a new insight into the quirkiest kingdom of Life on Earth.

Author signed copies at just £24-95 + £4-90 Postage and Packing. Your book will be sent by First Class Post. Extracts and reviews - more details here...

Help more people learn about and enjoy nature...

We are always pleased to receive your suggestions, pictures and help...

Our online Identification Guides, accessed from the tabs at the top of each page, contain:

> 600 Wildflower pages with pictures, identification tips and advice on the best locations

> 480 Fungi pages , with illustrated identification guides, fact files and habitat information

> 60 British Birds, plus a selection of beautiful birds from other parts of the world

> 50 native British Trees, plus a selection of beautiful flowering trees from other countries

> 60 Insects, including beautiful butterflies, as well as dragonflies and and other aquatic insects

> 50 Fish species found in Britain's rivers, lakes and coastal waters

> All of Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians plus some interesting herps from elsewhere

> A selection of Mammals - plus a special section featuring 13 of Britain's Bat species.

For Fungi Fans...

Mushroom of the Month: the First Nature Blog...

Online Guide to the Nature Reserves of Wales

The New Online Guide

A comprehensive, illustrated guide with detailed directions, zoomable maps and access advice on each one of Wales's National Nature Reserves plus many Local Nature Reserves, RSPB, Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust and other Wildlife Reserves in Wales is now online here and at www.waleswildlife.com

This resource can also be accessed via the Wild Wales tab on the First Nature website, (www.first-nature.com/waleswildlife)

There is also guidance on which wildlife reserves and other wildlife sites are best for birds, wildflowers, butterflies, bats, fungi and lichens etc; details of what you are likely to find at each nature reserve; and advice on the best times to visit to maximise the opportunities for enjoying your particular wildflower, wildlife and countryside interests.

Personalise your Illustrated Wildflower Identification Guide...

Our extensive British and European wild flowers sections can now be sorted in the order you prefer. Select wildflowers either A to Z by Common Names, or by Scientific Names, or by Botanical Families, or by Dominant Colour. Try it now... .

Fascinated by wild orchids? Visiting Southern Portugal?

Our guide to Wild Orchids in the Algarve is available at our online bookshop. More details...

(Also available via good booksellers in the UK and Portugal)

How about staying in the seaside village of Carvoeiro for your Algarve holiday? Details...

At last... an Authoritative, Illustrated Book to help you find and enjoy Algarve Wildlife

A 164-page full-colour book Algarve Wildlife - the natural year, by Clive Viney and Ray Tipper, is now available at our online bookshop... (This book can also be obtained via good bookshops in the UK and southern Portugal.)

A remarkable Souvenir Guide to an amazing Wildflower Paradise...

Visiting Southern Portugal? Take this inexpensive illustrated guide to Wildflowers in the Algarve with you. Available from our online bookshop... (Also from Amazon and other online booksellers and bookshops in the UK and Portugal).

> Great sites for seeing wildflowers in the Algarve...

First Nature Multimedia Guide to Fungi

Hundreds of interactive pages packed with facts, fun, fungus foray and fungi identification guides, and advice on fungus photography. Fungi quizzes, video films and lots more in this CD-ROM. Designed for PCs running Windows with Internet Explorer. >Details...

SPECIAL OFFER: just £12 +P&P via our online bookshop...

Note on terminology

We use the term wildflowers where some people still write wild flowers as two words; however, whether you prefer wildflowers or wild flowers we are sure you will find many flower species of interest in our wildflower pages. Similarly with fungi: some people call all edible fungi mushrooms, using the term toadstools to denote inedible of poisonous fungi. Others reserve the term mushroom for Agaricus species such as field mushrooms. We use the term mushroom to describe any cap-and-stem fungi, whereas brackets, crusts, puffballs and other non-mushroom-shaped fungi are referred to simply as fungi. To many people, wildlife means animals such as birds, mammals and insects. Are wilflowers (or wild flowers) wildlife? They are living things, and part of Nature; we therefore use wildlife to imply all living creatures, whether animals (including mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fishes etc), plants such as wildflowers, trees, mosses and other 'lower plants' as well as fungi, lichens and slime moulds.