Warmer summers see moths and butterflies flourish in Scotland

More moths and butterflies have been spotted in Scotland over the last several years due to warmer summers, figures show.

Moths have shown a recovery in numbers since 2015 and butterflies have seen a rapid increase since 2015/16 because of the warmer weather, data from NatureScot on the abundance of land and sea creatures in Scotland reveals.

NatureScot monitored around 337 land-based species and found numbers were stable between 1994 and 2019, with an increase of 14% from 2016 to 2019.

The number of insects increased 24% between 1994 and 2016.

The year 1994 was chosen as a baseline because it is the earliest for which there are comprehensive records.

Evidence suggests biodiversity had already declined markedly prior to then.