New Forest learning resources

Discover the New Forest's freshwater habitats and species

As co-hosts of the New Forest Catchment Partnership, we want to get people of all ages involved in learning and caring about the New Forest’s wonderful freshwater plants and animals. That’s why we’ve created these free downloadable resources, for schools, community groups and families.

Can you help us spread the word about how wonderful the New Forest wetlands are?

The New Forest is world famous for its wetland wildlife. From source to sea, the ponds and bogs, rivers, streams, mudflats and saltmarshes are all extremely special for plants and animals alike. The wetland landscape is bursting with rare, freshwater plants and animals, like sundews and southern damselflies.

The amazing mosaic of freshwater habitats supports more than two thirds of all the UKs freshwater species and more than a third of the UK’s rarest plants and invertebrates. The grazing livestock and clean unpolluted water, make the New Forest is one of the most Important Freshwater Landscapes and coastal areas in the UK.

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New Forest colouring sheet

Bring this New Forest freshwater landscape – and the creatures who live here – to life by adding your own colours.

Download colouring sheet

New Forest species factsheets

Fun, free factsheets to learn about the plants and animals that live in the New Forest.

Adult Eurasian Curlew wading in tidal marsh waddensea.
Curlew
Download
Tiny blue insect on the leaf of a plant that's growing in water
Bog Pondweed
Download
Common Cotton Grass
Cottongrass
Download
Emerald Damselfly.
Emerald Damselfly
Download
Fairy Shrimp
Download
Head on close up of Southern Hawker dragonfly.
Golden-ringed Dragonfly
Download
Gorse with yellow flowers and green spikes,
Gorse
Download
Medicinal leech.
Medicinal Leech
Download
New Forest Pony
Download
Penny Royal
Download
Plant with red and yellow spokes in shallow water, sparkling in the sunlight.
Sundew
Download
Tadpole Shrimp
Download

Teaching resources