Ben Lawers - Mountain Ringlet

[andy hunter]

Hi

my first posting here - my first confession is . . . i am pretty ignorant in this field so bear with me. i was on the ben lawers range in central scotland today, at an altitiude of about 800m, just west of beinn ghlas. when, in a strong breeze, a small dark brown butterfly blew / flew past. i tried to keep up with it but could not and lost it. it was maybe 3cm long.

i am going to help with surveys for mountain ringlets shortly so am aware of it a little. i have filmed scotch argus so am aware of it, its similarities and differences.

my question would be, based on little evidence as above i know, whether there are other species this could have been or whether it is likely to have been mountain ringlet. it was bright and sunny and the area is boggy / grassy (albeit i am not familiar with mat grass, which i think is one of its chosen habitats). i could spend a lot of time in my ignorance looking for alternatives, so a little guidance would be helpful. if theres a distinct chance it could be MR i would happily go back and have further searches.

thanks for time and consideration

ahunter

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Andy - this could well have been a Mountain Ringlet but, unless you got a good look, I suspect there are several other species it could have been.

Having said that, I received the following from Matthew Rogers:

"Maybe of interest for posting though for southern folk visiting the highlands- Mountain Ringlets were on the wing on Ben Lawers on 2 July 08 at top of the Nature Trail loop path, eastern side; my first attempt for these!"

Cheers,

- Pete

[andy hunter]

Thanks for that. I thought there might be alternatives and that the given info might be insufficient. I saw the distribution map had some in that area, but wasn't sure of the full meaning.

Getting a good view in breezy conditions must be a challenge - the thing took off like the clappers and in a matter of seconds was 50m away !

thanks again

ahunter