Regional Species


Grayling
Hipparchia semele

Photograph by Janet Graham (Morfa Dyffryn)

Regional Species

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 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 found down the length of the Carboniferous Limestone. 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: thyone.

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.

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.