Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

The Ringlet is a common butterfly here on Islay and this seems to have been a good summer for them.  They look quite like Meadow Browns, but the spots are smaller, appear on both the fore and hind wings and have pale rings round them.  Males are much darker than females (pictured).  Females do not lay their eggs in batches, but scatter them at random over lush grassy places.  The dull brown caterpillars apparently feed at night, even during the winter, so if you are a real enthusiast you could go crawling around random grassy places in the dark with a torch looking for small brown caterpillars.

Well, somebody must have done it...