A new project will launch in Caithness next week to help stop the decline of a rare species of bee.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) will unveil plans on Monday to make Thurso the UK’s first great yellow bumblebee town.
The organisation is calling for people to help boost populations of this bee, which can only be found in parts of Caithness and Sutherland, as well as the islands of Orkney, Coll, Tiree and the Outer Hebrides.
A special shop at 3 Princes Street in Thurso will be open to the public from 11am on Monday until June 14 for viewing and discussing the plans.
The aim of the new project, called Gateway to the Great Yellow, is to create a sense of community ownership of the bee, which is mainly yellow with a band of black hair between its wings.
Grassroots support for bumblebee conservation across communities in Caithness will be fostered through education and outreach work including practical measures on how to manage habitats.
Gardeners are also being asked to play their part by planting bee friendly flowers to counter habitat loss which has been caused by changing agricultural practices.
In the past 80 years, two of the 26 species of bumblebee in the UK have become extinct and several others are now extremely rare.