For someone whose natural attire is thick jumpers and lace-up boots, the arrival of September is a breath of fresh air. I always grapple for inspiration during summer, but the one thing that keeps my camera from gathering dust is the emergence of butterflies.

This season I saw my first Grayling during a trip to Tentsmuir in Fife, and my first Small Blue just down the road from where I live. One is an expert camouflager and the other is absolutely tiny, so I was thrilled to find both!

It was also a pleasure to see a decent number of Scotch Argus in my local patch again. Although not the most colourful of butterflies, there’s something so striking about the Scotch Argus and I always love seeing that flash of black among the bracken.

It’s been fun focussing on these tiny beauties, but now I’m keen to put the summer slump behind me. Here’s to fiery leaves, crunchy grass and soggy fungi.