Out of the blue, Scotland gets new visitor - thanks to warmer weather

A STRIKING butterfly commonly found in the south of England has been spotted in gardens in Scotland, a wildlife charity has revealed.

It is thought warmer temperatures over recent years could have led the holly blue butterfly to venture further north.

There have been several sightings in gardens in Edinburgh and the north Solway Coast over recent months, according to Butterfly Conservation.

Paul Kirkland, director of the group in Scotland said: "Butterflies do get transported about on plants - the holly blue feeds on ivy and holly - or it might have found its way here from the north of England.

"So many butterflies are moving north in response to the warmer years we have been having. They are increasingly able to survive here and do well."

The holly blue is a bright blue butterfly that is commonly seen in parks and gardens in the south of England.

Its larvae can also feed on gorse and dogwood.

Other butterflies that have turned up in the south of Scotland from England over recent years include the small skipper, a bright orange-brown species that has been seen in the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.

And the comma, an orange-brown species with ragged wing edges, has spread 220 miles northwards since the 1970s.

It previously lived only south of a line from the Mersey to the Wash, but in recent years has been spotted as far north as Highland Scotland, and has also crossed the Irish Sea to reach Northern Ireland.

"This is a global phenomenon," Mr Kirkland said. "We work closely with counterparts across Europe and we know that some species in southern Spain are struggling now."

He said it made the south of Scotland an "exciting" place to live, with new species appearing all the time.

"We are doing quite well out of it. We have got some concerns about our northern upland species, but at the moment they seem to be doing okay.

"The main problem in Scotland is habitat loss and intensification of agriculture."

The country's largest ever butterfly count starts this weekend, and Mr Kirkland said it provided the perfect opportunity to find out how widespread the holly blue was in Scotland.

The Big Butterfly Count aims to attract thousands of people to submit sightings of butterflies and day-flying moths.

Butterfly Conservation is urging the public to spend quarter of an hour in a garden, park or field between 24 July and 1 August - and make a note of any species they spot.

Sir David Attenborough, president of Butterfly Conservation, urged as many people as possible to get involved.

"Butterflies are extraordinary, heart-lifing creatures - visions of beauty and visions of summer," he said.

"Butterflies in profusion tell us that all is well with nature. When they decline, it's a warning that other wildlife will soon be heading the same way."

The past three years have seen butterflies in the UK hit an all-time low, with almost half now under threat.

Seven out of ten UK butterfly species are declining and about half are threatened with extinction.