Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

Brown-eyed twirl
Warm summer days, fl ower-rich grassland and fl uttering
butterfl ies are made for each other. Brightly coloured
butterfl ies, such as peacocks and red admirals, may seem to
steal the show. But there’s both pleasure and challenge in
looking more closely at less fl amboyant summer fl iers.
‘Browns’ are an aptly named butterfl y family that includes
widespread species, such as the meadow brown, and some
scarcer ones for which Scotland is an important home.
The mountain ringlet is a brown, and is Britain’s only true
mountain-dwelling butterfl y. Some live in the Lake District,
but its stronghold is in the uplands of Perthshire and
Lochaber.
The Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve – famed for
its alpine fl owers and the glories of the scenery above
bonny Loch Tay – is in the heart of Scotland’s mountain
ringlet territory. Like the Scotch argus (another brown), the
mountain ringlet has ‘eyespots’ on its wings and fl ies only if
the sun is shining. Mountains, sun, butterfl ies: sounds like
another heady mix.
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Web tip:
www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/reserve.asp?NNRId=31
Catch the minke
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It can match a double-decker bus in length and weight. So
when a minke whale emerges from the deeps, it’s sure to
cause a stir. The minke whale is the commonest whale seen
in Scottish inshore waters, but that doesn’t make it a pushover
to spot.
Typically, a minke doesn’t stay near the surface for long.
Even if you’re with a boatload of whale enthusiasts, that
means you have to keep scanning the sea for signs of its
black, curved back and small dorsal fi n.
Mull is one of Scotland’s whale-watching hotspots, with
trips sailing from Tobermory to waters off Ardnamurchan and
the west of the island. Regular ferries here and elsewhere
also give the chance of whale, dolphin and porpoise
sightings. Summer services across the Minch, including
Ullapool to Stornoway, are a good bet. So too are the
scheduled ferries from Arisaig or Mallaig to Eigg and the
other Small Isles.
Web tips:
www.whaledolphintrust.co.uk
www.sealifesurveys.com
6 The Nature of Scotland