Temperatures are still cold until March heralds the start of spring – with average temperatures struggling to get above 6C – but it’s still possible to spot butterflies, flowering plants and many of Scotland’s most iconic creatures.
Indeed, the lack of leaves on deciduous trees means that animals that tend to be hidden by plentiful foliage during the rest of the year are easier to see.
Meanwhile, the relatively low levels of tourism at this time of year mean that you have a greater chance of getting wildlife spotting destinations all to yourself – with more chance to catch shy creatures that generally give crowds of humans a wide berth.
5. See frogs hopping to it
A stretch of warmer days in February can prompt frogs and toads to start breeding - with ponds quickly becoming filled with frog spawn and toad spawn (the former in clumps of eggs, the latter in long strings). Each female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, although very few of the resulting tadpoles mange to escape predation to become adults. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
6. Look to the trees for an exotic new resident
Ring-necked parakeets are a relatively new arrival to Scotland but there are now a number of well-established colonies in the Central Belt - try the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, or take a walk in Glasgow's Dawsholm or Kelvingrove Park. Their vivid green colour usually offers great camouflague in leafy trees, so they are much easier to see in the winter when they stand out against the sparse bgackdrop. Nobody knows for sure how they arrived in this country, but many believe that a few escaped pets started to breed and settled in to our parks. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
7. Look out for eternal love blooming
Primroses are one of the earliest plants to flower and can be seen in woodland, hedgerows and grasslands across Scotland asa early as February, blooming until late May Primroses represent eternal love and in Irish folklore are used to protect the home from mischievous fairies. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
8. Feed your feathered friends
Several of Scotland's most familiar and popular garden birds will start building nests in February - including in nest boxes. Look out for robins and blue tits busily gathering materials and give them a helping hand by leaving out food. Photo: Canva/Getty Images