ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Regional Species - Grayling</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name="keywords" content="Grayling, Hipparchia semele"> <meta name="description" content="The Grayling butterfly in North Wales"> <LINK REL="StyleSheet" HREF="../../branch.css" type="text/css"> <SCRIPT language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (parent.location.href == self.location.href) window.location.href = "../../index.html?species/grayling/index.html"; // --> </SCRIPT> </head> <body class="background"> <a name="top"></a> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" width="100%"> <tr> <td width="1" bgcolor="#cccccc"><img src="../../images/dot.gif" border="0" width="1" height="1"></td> <td valign="top" class="content"> <blockquote> <SPAN class="page-title">Regional Species</SPAN> <br><br><br> <SPAN class="article-subtitle">Grayling</SPAN><br><SPAN class="scientific-name">Hipparchia semele</SPAN> <br><br> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="408"> <tr><td><img src="photo_1.jpg" width="400" height="296" alt=" Grayling" border="2"></td></tr> <tr><td><h5>Photograph by Janet Graham (Morfa Dyffryn)</h5></td></tr> </table> </blockquote> </td> <td valign="top" class="content"> <!-- NAVIGATION ELEMENT - BACK TO SPECIES INDEX PAGE --> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><a href="../index.html" onFocus="this.blur();"><img src="../../images/right.gif" width="19" height="19" border="0"></a></td> <td class="links"><a href="../index.html">Regional Species</a></td> </tr> </table> <br clear="all"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <SPAN class="subtitle">About the Grayling</SPAN> <p class="content">The Grayling favours infertile areas of various different habitat types but all having one feature in common, viz. the presence of patches of bare ground. These appear to be an essential requirement and are used for basking and displaying. Suitable bare ground might be open sand in sand dunes, rocks, rubble or even tracks and paths. In North Wales most populations occur within a few miles of the coast, being absent from areas of apparently suitable habitat inland, although the species is more common in the east and is found down the length of the Carboniferous Limestone.</p> <p class="content">The Graylings on the Great Orme s Head are smaller than elsewhere and also have an earlier flight period. These special butterflies are endemic to North Wales and are classified as a distinct subspecies: <i>thyone</i>. </p> <p class="content">The flight period extends from early July to late September with a peak in early August. Eggs are laid singly on various grasses and the resulting larvae overwinter deep within the tussocks. Pupation takes places in the ground.</p> <p class="content">This is not the easiest butterfly to identify, confusion being possible with other  browns . However, the habitat provides a clue, as does the butterflies characteristic posture of sitting with the wings closed vertically above the back and the whole insect aligned to the sun so that its shadow is of minimal size. The details of the underwing pattern are distinctive if a close view is obtained.</p> <p class="content">&nbsp;</p> <p class="content">Further information available from the <a href="http://www.trawsgoed.com/nwleps.aspx?tp=but&Let=G" target="noframe"> NW Lepidoptera Database</a>, including access to detailed records, maps, flight-time charts and photographs.</p> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3" class="sidebar">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="../../images/top.gif" width="10" height="10" hspace="4" border="0"><a href="#top"><SPAN class="thispage">Top of page</SPAN></a> | <a href="../index.html"><SPAN class="thispage">Regional Species</SPAN></a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="right"> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0"><tr><td align="right"><h5><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="../../_scripts/copyright.js"></SCRIPT></h5></td></tr></table> </td></tr> </table> </body> </html>