Hope in the form of a butterfly.

During the summer, I often see this little chocolate brown butterfly fluttering over tall, lush damp grassland, even in wet weather. 

The distinctive rings that are on the wings are what give it the descriptive name, the ringlet. 

These butterflies are quite common, but this was not always the case. 

Until relatively recently, it was a butterfly that I had rarely seen.

 My first sighting, I remember, was while out walking at Ardochrig just above Auldhouse near East Kilbride. 

Having read the recently published book, Discovering Scotland’s Butterflies by Paul Kirkland, it appears that during the 1970s, this butterfly was spreading north, reclaiming territory. 

According to the book, records from the 19th Century show that it was present South of a line from Skye to the Lothians. 

It then describes how in the 20th Century, a decline had set in, suggesting that air pollution may have been the cause. 

Now during the summer, while walking amongst the tall grass, I see it almost every time. 

The growth in coarse grasses such as Cocks foot and Tufted Hair grass will have aided its ability to reclaim former territory, but so will climate change. 

Milder winters will also make it easier for caterpillars to overwinter.

It is easy to get disillusioned by what often appears to be a constant stream of bad news stories, but the change in this little butterfly’s fortune gives me hope.