When walking the slopes above the Hillfoot villages, it is always worth looking out for a small bumblebee with a most distinctive orange-furred abdomen.

This is the blaeberry bumblebee, a rather scarce species nationally, but one which occurs in several parts of the Ochils.

It is a rather attractive creature, most often seen by the edge of tracksides rich in wildflowers such as bird’s-foot trefoil, speedwells and heath bedstraw.

They nest underground, most frequently in old vole burrows, and colonies typically have fewer than 50 workers.

They are also quite shy compared to other bee species and if you try to get too close, they almost always buzz away.

As summer well and truly takes hold there are a number of other interesting insects too seek out.

One of my favourites is the chimney sweeper moth, which is a locally common day-flying moth that looks just like a small butterfly.

They have a lovely sooty colour (hence the name) and tend to favour areas of ungrazed grassland.

One of the most stunning is the common blue butterfly, which is anything but common, although if you know where to look there are several areas in the Ochils where they are reasonably frequent.

Alva Glen is one such place, as is Glen Sherup further to the east.

One butterfly that can easily be missed because of its diminutive size and unremarkable tawny colouring is the small heath.

They are on the wing at the moment and look out for them in sheltered, sunny spots in the Ochils.

Another gem worth seeking out is the small copper, a beautifully burnished butterfly that is locally distributed in our area.