Daffodils and butterflies hit hard by the harsh winter

Thousands of daffodils have been left weeks behind schedule following the prolonged harsh winter.

Pictures show the flowers at Grampian Growers in Angus failing to flower in time for the start of spring. At the same time last year, the Scottish farm boasted of a field full of bright yellow daffodils.

But 12 months on boss Mark Clark has missed out on the key Easter and Mother’s Day markets. The 53-year-old says he is trying to keep positive despite the setback at the farmer-owned co-operative.

He said: “We have missed out on quite a lot. So far we have picked up just over a million when last year we picked up five million.

“It’s just hard going, we have 13 shareholders and we are trying to keep positive. The finish date is 18 April but we are hoping to go on to the end of April.

“As far as temperatures go, the lowest we have had is -9C, so it is completely weather related.”

Meanwhile, two declining butterflies suffered their worst year on record in 2017 after hopes of a butterfly revival were dashed by a chilly snap in spring and a gloomy, wet summer, a study has revealed.

Grayling and Grizzled Skipper recorded their lowest numbers since records began as difficult weather conditions caused problems for some of the UK’S species. 0 Grampian Growers’ daffodils in bloom last year as compared to this year, left, where they are weeks behind schedule. Below, a grizzled skipper butterfly