Wildlife
Watch Stackpole's otters
Our resident otter experts, Jim and Marilyn Bebbington, have gained a unique insight into the daily lives of our resident otter family. The mother working hard to feed her family, the cubs playing, the family running along the shore of the Bosherston Lakes - Jim and Marilyn have filmed it all.
Enjoy this clip, and then watch more on YouTube.
Look out for St Mark's Fly
Look out for St Mark's Fly, a black insect with dangling legs which emerges on or after St Mark's Day or April 25. They are completely harmless, and the flying adults only live for a very short time.
Damsels and dragons...
Watch out for these spectacular insects as you walk around the lakes. You can see more than 20 species of dragonflies, and their slender cousins, the damselflies, between spring and autumn.
...and butterflies and moths
Look for butterflies on the coastal grasslands, in the sand dunes, or in sunny woodland glades.More than 30 species have been recorded here. Day-flying moths like the Six-spot burnet are common in summer.
Blackcap
The next three months at Stackpole are a treat for the ear as well as the eye. One of our loveliest songsters is the blackcap - listen for it on the lakeside paths.
Skylark
Walking between Barafundle and Broadhaven, listen for skylarks singing high overhead. They nest in the grassland - so dogs on leads please.
Little grebe
In the shady upper reaches of the lakes, listen for the trill of the little grebe. They have beautiful summer plumage, but are great at disappearing underwater if disturbed.
Signs of spring - early flowering plants
Wild garlic in the woods
This is the time of year when our woods smell pleasantly of wild garlic. Early flowering plants like garlic (or Ramsons as some call it), primroses and bluebells do well here. Later on, the dense shade cast by the trees means that ferns (which don't need much light) dominate.
Early purple orchids
The earliest orchid at Stackpole is the early purple. Look out for it along the shady paths by the western arm of the lakes. It also grows on grazed coastal headlands - look out for it on Stackpole Warren, and on Lydstep Head.
A carpet of blue
In May and June our coastal headlands are covered with a carpet of blue. This is the lovely spring or vernal squill. The sheep which spend the winter at Stackpole are taken away in late April - if they stayed, they would eat all the flowers.