Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

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Eighty per cent of the
UK’s common seals
breed in Scotland,
which is home to at
least 20,000 of these
dappled sea mammals.
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The mountain ringlet is
one of Scotland’s rarer
brown butterflies.
Several of its colonies
survive in national
nature reserves.
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It’s a rare treat if a
minke whale emerges,
head first, beside a
boat. Pure white front
fins, or ‘flukes’, are one
of the minke’s
distinctive features.
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Bumblebees help to
pollinate both
wildflowers and crops
as they move between
plants to feed.
Born to hum
Times are hard for foggie-toddlers and droners. Numbers
of bumblebees (as you’ll most likely know them) have been
in tailspin in many places. That’s why the Scottish and UK
governments are funding new research aimed at improving
life for bees.
But it’s not all gloom for the big buzzers. Scotland has
17 different species and some excellent places to watch
them. At the Loch Leven National Nature Reserve, you
could couple a visit to enjoy wildfowl and cultural heritage
with appreciation of bees that benefi t from the world’s fi rst
bumblebee sanctuary. Created around two years ago with
help from SNH, this fl owery meadow at the RSPB’s Vane
Farm is already attracting many different bumblebees.
In the Hebrides and Orkney, you might be lucky enough
to see one of Scotland’s rarest bumblebees, the great yellow.
It relishes the clover on traditionally managed grasslands in
places such as the RSPB’s Balranald Reserve and the Loch
Druidibeg National Nature Reserve.
Web tips:
www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/reserve.asp?NNRId=33
www.bumblebeeconservation.org/vane.htm
www.snh.org.uk/pubs/results.asp?Q=bumblebees&rpp=10
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www.snh.org.uk 7