Animals and plants

The New Forest pony is famous beyond its home turf and no visit would be complete without sight of one. Fortunately there is little chance of travelling far in the Forest without a pony encounter. Other animals roam freely in the New Forest too: cattle, donkeys, a few sheep and even pigs in the autumn. Deer are a common sight. The New Forest is home to an extraordinary diversity of other creatures and plants including the Dartford warbler, the silver-studded blue butterfly, the Southern blue damselfly, the sand lizard, the wild gladiolus, Hampshire purslane, the marsh gentian and slender cottongrass.

Wild things - five little critters to look out for
1. New Forest cicada
2. Raft spider
3. Stag beetle
4. Medicinal leech
5. Large marsh grasshopper