Get to know Norfolk’s wildlife 

The UK’s largest butterfly, it is very colourful, and arguably our most beautiful.

Where and when to see them:

Formerly restricted across the Norfolk Broads but starting to widen its distribution. Exclusive to tall-herb fen reed beds. Hickling Broad, Upton Fen & Ranworth Broad - late May/June.

Conservation status and management:

Habitat loss and butterfly collectors initially caused the species to decline. However, better protection, education, habitat improvement and reedbed creation work has increased the population over the last 100 years.

Due to its limited UK geographical range and low population, it remains a threatened butterfly. The caterpillar of this butterfly feeds exclusively on milk parsley, an equally rare plant of East Anglian reedbeds. 

A streaky brown heron that is more often heard than seen. Hiding deep in the reed beds, it delivers a loud far-carrying ‘booming’ call.  

Where and when to see them:

Breeds in large stands of reed at Hickling Broad. All year, early spring to hear booming males. 

Conservation status and management:

Bittern became extinct in the UK, but in the early twentieth century returned to breed at Hickling Broad. Its numbers have fluctuated since then, very nearly becoming extinct as a breeding bird in the 1970s. Recent habitat improvements and reedbed creation have seen numbers and distribution around the UK significantly improve. 

The silver-studded blue is a small, but dazzling, butterfly which gets its name from the light blue reflective 'studs' (scales) found on the underside of the wings. The upper wings are blue with a dark outer rim. Males are bluer than females, which are more of a dull brown. 

Where and when to see them:

It is a rare butterfly, found in heathland habitats that have shorter, sparsely vegetated areas. It emerges in June and is usually on the wing until late August at Buxton Heath.

Conservation status and management:

The silver-studded blue is nationally scarce, having become extinct in Norfolk. A successful re-introduced project has seen the butterfly thriving on several of the county’s heathlands, with Buxton Heath being one of best sites in UK for the species.   

A large brown dragonfly with clear wings. It is the only UK dragonfly with green eyes.

Where and when to see them:

Originally restricted to the Norfolk Broads but has recently widened its range. All NWT Broadland reserves. On the wing June/July.

Conservation status and management:

This dragonfly is considerably more common than a few decades ago, even being found in gardens with small ponds. Better water quality and climate change may be factors for its increase. 

A small waxy green orchid. The flowers are pale yellow-green, spiky with a tongue-shaped lip.

Where and when to see them:

Growing in moss, this orchid requires a particular type of poor fen. Flowers in June at Upton Fen. *Please remain on the paths and observe only  plants marked out by staff.  

Conservation status and management:

From only a few dozen flowering plants, the annual count is now in the thousands. The careful conservation management of its favoured sites, including translocation projects have seen the fen orchid expand its range, as well as its population.  

The UK’s tallest bird has powder-grey plumage, with a distinctive black, white and red head. 

Where and when to see them:

Undisturbed marshes and fens. Prefers reedbeds for nesting. Hickling Broad. All year round, best observed from Raptor Roost Watch Point.  

Conservation status and management:

It was driven to extinction in the UK many hundreds of years ago. Since its surprise return as a breeding bird to the Norfolk Broads in the 1980s, it has made a steady recovery and can now be found across the East of England.  A breeding and release programme in the Somerset Levels has helped boost the population.  

Belonging to the umbellifer (carrot) family, its green leaves resemble carrot tops. The plant flowers from July to September producing clusters of small white flowers.

Where and when to see them:

Found on reed and fen, it prospers from traditionally harvested reedbeds. Restricted to East Anglia, with the Norfolk Broads remaining its main geographical range. Found across NWT Broadland reserves. Alongside the boardwalks at Hickling Broad is a good place to look.

Conservation status and management:

Drainage in the 19^th century and scrub invasion in the 20^th century restricted the plants prime habitat. Reedbed creation and a return to traditional reed harvesting has seen an increase in its population. Milk parsley is the food plant of the swallowtail butterfly.

‘Stonies’ are pigeon-sized birds, with brown and sandy plumage that forms excellent camouflage. A large yellow eye is useful for its predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.   

Where and when to see them:

Breeds on agricultural land, and Breckland heath, in southern and eastern England. Weeting Heath, April through to August.

Conservation status and management:

The curlew suffered population decline as agricultural practices became more mechanised and intensive. Weeting Heath has been, for decades, the go to place for birdwatchers to see this strange bird. Stone curlew have remained a conservation challenge due to nest predation and habitat loss; however, the population appears to be holding steady.   

A raptor with a long tail and broad wings. The male has streaked brown plumage with grey wing panels and black tips. The female is chocolate brown with a cream-coloured head.  

Where and when to see them:

Preferring large stretches of reedbed, this species has now been found breeding in open agricultural countryside. Cley and Salthouse Marshes and Broadland reserves. All year. Hickling Raptor Roost Watch Point in winter. 

Conservation status and management:

Formally only a summer visitor, the marsh harrier can now be found year-round.  A hundred years ago only a handful of marsh harriers bred, being confined to the Norfolk Broads. It is now found right across eastern and southern England, with recent breeding success in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A solitary wasp with a shiny black body and distinctive ivory marks on its shoulders and abdomen.

Where and when to see them:

Found in fens and marshy areas, but requiring dry compacted bare and exposed ground to build its characteristic tunnels with ‘chimneys’ at the entrance. Pathways seem to be the most popular locations, so care must be taken to discover and protect the colonies. Hickling Broad, June/July.   

Conservation status and management:

A rare solitary wasp that was thought to be extinct in Britain, until its rediscovery in the Norfolk Broads in 1986. Its population has grown, but it is still largely concentrated in the Broads, although fen mason wasps have been found along the coast of Suffolk and Essex.