"Mull is majestic, magnificent. Coll is captivating. But Tiree truly takes your breath away."
Follow Butterfly Conservation Trustee Simon Saville on week 2 of his 700 mile bike ride from Glasgow to Inverness to raise funds to help protect endangered butterflies and moths.
Day 8
It's been a varied second week of my Bike for Butterflies. On Day 8, I was on Mull in Tobermory and had to escape from the million of morning midges at the campsite. I looked for Argent & Sable moths on the Glengorm Estate, along with Marsh Fritillaries and rare Burnet moths. Despite local advice, I was unsuccessful - it was simply too cool and overcast. I did see a Silver Hook moths, a first for me, though pretty common.
All you need is luck, & I didn't have it. Explored Glengorm w. input from local expert. Saw Common Carpet & Silver Hook moths (pics), but not Argent & Sable or Slender Scotch Burnet (pic). Low cloud & low temp persisted thro' Day 8 of #bikeforbutterflies pic.twitter.com/Lfnq52aJmJ
— Simon Saville (@sbsaville) May 26, 2023
Day 9
On Day 9, I said farewell to Mull, but not before a moth trap where we saw White Ermine, Brimstone moth, Cinnabar and many others.
The highlight of the day, though, was to see my first ever Chequered Skipper at Scallastle. Local resident Chris had the first ever confirmed record for Chequered Skipper on Mull here last year. It's a remote site, so they have probably been here undetected for some time. But I felt privileged for this to be my first sighting.
Woohoo! Put out the banners! Ring the bells! Chequered Skippers found on Mull, thanks to Chris (who first saw them here in 2022). First time for me to see a Chequered Skipper, too. I'm over the moon. #bikeforbutterflies Day 9 beats the weather after all. @savebutterflies pic.twitter.com/44OIK18ncL
— Simon Saville (@sbsaville) May 27, 2023
Back on the mainland, I searched sites around Oban - again with expert advice - and tracked down Marsh Fritillary, Chequered Skippers (pleased to spot them, all by myself), and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries.
Days 11 & 12
The ferry took me from Oban to Coll on Day 11 for two days on this captivating island. Its low lying, but far from flat, so I clocked up a fair few hills. Coll is a wonderful place, and with expert help (again) I was able to see a fresh male Belted Beauty moth in a moth trap, and also find the rare Short-necked Oil Beetle in the machair on the dunes.
Each morning I woke early to a deafening dawn chorus, including the crex-crex of Corncrakes. This encouraged me to get up early and it was worth it - the sunrises were stunning
Day 13
Then to Tiree, which literally took my breath away with its stunning beaches and stupendously brilliant machair grasslands which are everywhere. Again with help, I looked for Tiree Twist, a rare micro moth that had only been seen recently on one site on Tiree. Predictably, we didn't see any, but it is a couple of weeks too early.
Day 14
On Day 14, I scoured the machair that was rich with birdsfoot trefoil for the Belted Beauty moth, which I'd seen in the trap on Coll. This is a machair specialist and the Hebrides are a stronghold. The machair was stunning - an echo of things lost in the rest of the UK, and an absolute delight. It was brimming with bumblebee queens - mostly the chunky Moss Carder Bee. There weren't any moths, Belted Beauty or otherwise. But I learned later that a caterpillar I'd seen was a full-grown Belted Beauty larva. So they are there after all, and I did track them down.
So it's a farewell to Tiree, with a promise to return. How could you not want more of this?
Now the Bike for Butterflies continues north of Oban in Chequered Skipper territory.
Sponsor Simon today
Simon is hoping to raise £10,000 to help save butterflies and moths across the UK. Please help to cheer him on and reach his target by sponsoring him today.