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Good to know
Six things about the brown trout
SpotsIts own pattern
Every brown trout has a different pattern of spots, like a fingerprint.
SeaSea trout
Some brown trout swim out to sea and come back much bigger and silvery. They are called sea trout, but are the same species.
CurrentFacing upstream
A trout faces into the current and waits for the river to bring food to it.
EggsA nest in the gravel
In winter the female digs a hollow in clean gravel with her tail and lays her eggs in it. The nest is called a redd.
FoodRising for flies
Trout eat insects, shrimps and small fish. A ring on the surface often means a trout has just taken a fly.
WaterA sign of clean water
Trout need cool water with plenty of oxygen, so finding them is a good sign for a river.
The real thing
Photos of the brown trout
Out and aboutHow to spot one
Stand on a bridge on a bright day, wearing sunglasses if you have them, and look for a shape holding steady behind a stone, facing upstream.
Lend a handHow to help
Never pour anything down outside drains, and keep out of gravel shallows in winter, where the eggs are buried.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Bees and hoverflies
Butterflies and moths
Dragonflies and damselflies
Beetles, hoppers and ants
Not insects at all
Snails and spiders aren't insects: a snail is a mollusc, and spiders have eight legs.
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Garden birds
Pond animals live on the Pond page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond life
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Night garden
Seashore animals live on the Seashore page: choosing one takes you there.
Rock pool life
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Woodland animals
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Under a log
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Meadow life
River life
