The National Trust for Scotland is reporting its first butterfly sighting of the year, and it is an unusual one as a Red Admiral was spotted in the gardens at Brodick Castle earlier this month.
Gardener George Inglis made the discovery on March 9 and managed to catch a photograph last week while at work at the historic estate, which has been in the care of the charity that conserves and promotes Scotland’s heritage since 1958.
Although Red Admirals are common across the UK, they are not usually seen so early in spring, usually migrating from Europe and North Africa once temperatures here start to rise.