The first £1 coin bearing the official portrait of King Charles III has entered general circulation as part of a collection inspired by plants and animals found across the four nations of the United Kingdom.

The latest design, featuring two bees, has been issued to Post Offices and banks, with nearly 3m coins making their way into tills and pockets.

All species included in the designs, overseen by the king, are in active conservation programmes and depict the flora and fauna found in different parts of the UK.

The 1p depicts a hazel dormouse, the 2p a red squirrel, the 5p an oak tree leaf, the 10p the endangered capercaillie, the 20p a puffin and the 50p a salmon. The £1 coin depicts two bees and the £2 coin a rose for England, a daffodil for Wales, a thistle for Scotland and a shamrock for Northern Ireland.

The Royal Mint unveiled the eight new designs, from the 1p to the £2 coin, in October. The following month, it started production of several million of each coin, with the 50p coin, depicting a salmon, entering circulation later that month.

The remaining denominations are expected to enter circulation throughout the rest of the year, in line with demand.

These coin designs will eventually replace the current shield, which features an emblem of the home nations: a rose, a thistle, a shamrock and a leek, and was introduced under Queen Elizabeth II in 2008.

Rebecca Morgan, the director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “We hope the designs across all denominations spark important conversations about the conservation of these important species.”

In a poll of almost 3,000 people conducted by the Royal Mint, the £1 coin was crowned as the favourite among all eight designs, with the 2p, depicting the red squirrel, following closely in second place.

The Royal Mint’s chief engraver, Gordon Summers, oversaw the designs, alongside an advisory committee. The coins were created with the support of the Royal Horticultural Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.