A Suffolk pond in good health is an incredibly rich and varied habitat for wildlife. When the environmental conditions are right, an array of different plant species grow in abundance, creating a spectrum of aquatic zones in which a myriad of different creatures manage to find the right kinds of spaces to flourish.

Hedgerows are one of the most important habitats for wildlife and with correct management will support a good variety of birds, small mammals, insects and plants.

Many of our woods have been in existence since the last ice-age and provide the richest places for wildlife. Most of them have been managed in a careful and sustainable way over the centuries to provide woodland products and fuel. Woods often show signs of traditional management which provided an excellent mixture of trees, shrubs and ground plants for wildlife.

Common ragwort supports a wide variety of invertebrates, including nationally rare or scarce species and 30 that are entirely reliant on this distinctive plant.

Grasslands swaying with wildflowers are part and parcel of Suffolk's image as a green county, made up of hedged fields, meadows and pastures. But without sensitive management, these grasslands soon become invaded by more vigorous weeds that can overwhelm and replace what is a vital habitat for birds, invertebrates and animals.

Grassland is a vital refuge for Suffolk's four species of reptile. And with common lizard, slow worm, grass snake and adder all under pressure from fragmentation of habitat, it's important that management techniques take their needs into consideration.

Carefully managed grassland is capable of supporting a wide range of insects, which in turn support small mammals such as shrews and bats, and birds such as yellowhammers and song thrushes.

More than 20 butterfly species regularly breed in Suffolk on suitable grassland and field edge habitat including species-rich pasture, rough grass margins and nettle patches on field edges and awkward corners, scrub, woodland and hedges.

Nettles and docks are important habitats for a great range of invertebrates such as ladybirds, damsel bugs, capsids, weevils, beetles, spiders.

Scattered clumps of rushes provide valuable structural and plant variety in grassland. The various species include hard, soft, compact, jointed, sharp-flowered and toad rush. They provide food and shelter for invertebrates and small mammals and, in larger areas of damp grassland, important wader nesting habitat.