Welcome to Ratby
Welcome to the Ratby NatureSpot page which gives local residents the opportunity to find out about, and contribute to our knowledge of, the wildlife in our parish. Just click on the headers of these news stories to read more.
Ratby
Selected parish / Wild Places / Public footpaths / Parish boundaries
To find out more about featured Wild Places in and around the parish (red boundaries on the map), visit the Wild Places page. Contact NatureSpot if you have an idea for any additional Wild Places.
Wild places in this parish
The historic village of Ratby lies a few miles to the west of Leicester and has a population of around 4000. Within the parish is Bury Camp, an iron age encampment dating back 3000 years. Ratby Church dates back to the 13th century and the site may have had a longer history as a Yew tree outside the main entrance has been dated as 2000 years old. The National Forest boundary runs through the village and there has been much tree planting on former agricultural fields. The parish is blessed with numerous green spaces of significant wildlife interest, including Martinshaw Wood.
Total species seen in this parish:
Wild places
Parishes
Thanks
Thanks to Ratby Parish Council for their support of the Ratby NatureSpot page.
Verges for wildlife
Parish Councils are being invited by Leicestershire County Council to take over the management of selected road verges in their area in order to improve their value for wildlife. So far, over 50 verges have been adopted and all have been, or will be, surveyed by NatureSpot to find out which species are already growing there. Surveys by NatureSpot have revealed a surprising diversity of flora with an average of over 30 species on each verge. Encourage your parish council to take part! More information about the project can be found here.
Recording Ratby Wildlife
We would like more wildlife observations from around Ratby. So, if you've seen a species you recognise, from a Blue tit to a Bluebell, click on the header to find out what to do.
The images and records below are all from the parish/ward and have been submitted by members of the public.
Latest images
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest records
| Species group | Total no. of species | Total no. of records | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2227 | 11693 | |
| Moths | 461 | 4552 | |
| Wildflowers | 268 | 1325 | |
| Beetles | 201 | 597 | |
| Fungi | 167 | 452 | |
| Flies | 161 | 531 | |
| Bugs | 129 | 395 | |
| Bees, Wasps, Ants | 80 | 354 | |
| Trees, Shrubs & Climbers | 66 | 289 | |
| Birds | 66 | 564 | |
| Spiders | 57 | 162 | |
| Grasses, Rushes & Sedges | 55 | 179 | |
| Lichens | 55 | 179 | |
| Craneflies, Gnats & Midges | 55 | 112 | |
| Slugs & Snails | 55 | 491 | |
| Mosses & Liverworts | 55 | 258 | |
| Hoverflies | 47 | 193 | |
| Sawflies | 38 | 72 | |
| Butterflies | 23 | 333 | |
| Centipedes & Millipedes | 23 | 68 | |
| Mites, Ticks & Pseudoscorpions | 19 | 43 | |
| Ferns & Horsetails | 17 | 83 | |
| Mammals | 14 | 73 | |
| harvestman (Opiliones) | 13 | 46 | |
| Dragonflies and Damselflies | 13 | 34 | |
| Springtails & Bristletails | 12 | 35 | |
| Woodlice, Crustaceans | 12 | 83 | |
| Worms | 10 | 20 | |
| Lacewings & Scorpionflies | 9 | 26 | |
| Grasshoppers & Crickets | 9 | 31 | |