The latest results from the annual UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) were published last week and the red admiral stole the headlines north of the border - with the butterly having its best ever year in Scotland.
The UKBMS, which began in 1976, is one of the world's longest-running insect monitoring schemes, led by Butterfly Conservation, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).
The latest results show a "mixed picture" for UK butterflies in 2023, with some species soaring while others continued worrying declines.
Across the UK, half of the 58 species had a better than average year while the other half were below average at monitored sites.
In Scotland, where 27 species (out of 35 native species) were monitored across 269 sites, 16 species increased in abundance compared with 2022, with ten in decline and one showing no change.
The figures also show how species have fared over the last decade, giving a fascinating picture of the butterflies you are now far more likely to see in Scotland than back in 2014.
Here are the 10 species of butterfly that have enjoyed the largest rise in numbers in Scotland over the last 10 year.
1. Chequered Skipper
Although still rare in Scotland, the tiny chequered skipper has enjoyed something of a resurgence, with a huge 640 per cent increase in numbers (admittedly from a low base). Officially extinct in England since 1976, Scotland is the only place in the UK where you can see the chequered skipper butterfly. One of the best locations to see the pretty insects is the Allt Mhuic butterfly reserve, 20 miles north of Fort William, which features the grassland habitat favoured by the species. They only fly for a short period of time. from late May to the middle of June.
2. Speckled Wood
Once relatively rare in Scotland, the dapper Speckled Wood butterfly has become increasingly widespread in recent years - with numbers increasing by 440 per cent in the last 10 years. Emerging in April, their population peaks in early May, with favourite spots being hedgerows and woodland clearings.
3. Wall
Also known as the wall brown, the wall butterfly is fairly common across England but is absent from most of Scotland - but it's now moving north, with numbers up 244 per cent since 2014. Your best chance of seeing them is on bare ground on a sunny day in the south east and south west of the country in either early June or late August, when the two annual broods are at their height.
4. Red Admiral
The red admiral has enjoyed an explosion in numbers over the last couple of years, with a 166 per cent growth over the last decade. On the wing from May to October, and common in parks and gardens across Scotland, while the red admiral does breed in Scotland the vast majority of adult insects you see will be migrants from south of the border.