Carys McMillan from Cheshire Wildlife Trust introduces us to the UK largest brown butterfly, the grayling <\/p>
The Grayling butterfly is the UK’s largest brown butterfly with a wingspan of around 5-6\u00a0cm, and there are six subspecies of grayling\u00a0butterfly.<\/p>
The\u00a0undersides of the\u00a0grayling\u2019s\u00a0wings\u00a0are mottled brown\u00a0and this\u00a0colouring\u00a0enables it to blend into landing spots of bare earth, tree\u00a0bark,\u00a0stones\u00a0and sand.\u00a0<\/p>
When resting the\u00a0wings\u00a0are\u00a0generally\u00a0closed, exposing this underside colouring.\u00a0This closed wing\u00a0position allows the grayling to angle their wings according to the sun’s rays.<\/p>
Differing angles\u00a0allow the\u00a0grayling to regulate its body temperature from the heat of the sun and to minimise shadows\u00a0which\u00a0reduces\u00a0predation.\u00a0<\/p>
When in flight and the wings are open,\u00a0graylings\u00a0have a range of orange and brown bands in their wings as well as a large eye spot\u00a0against a cream background.<\/p>
The\u00a0grayling can be identified through its swooping flight and repetitively landing and taking off.\u00a0It is most common to see males\u00a0with females\u00a0generally only being seen when egg laying.<\/p>
A\u00a0grayling has four life stages, with eggs hatching in August. The larvae grow until the following June where they pupate and then\u00a0around July\u00a0the following year,\u00a0adult\u00a0graylings\u00a0emerge.<\/p>
Although they are\u00a0found\u00a0in various habitats\u00a0across\u00a0Europe and\u00a0Britain,\u00a0they mainly inhabit coastal areas with easy access to the sun.\u00a0<\/p>
The grayling butterfly\u00a0has\u00a0its\u00a0adult phase during the British summer months of July through to September and can be found in coastal habitats which include dunes<\/a>,\u00a0saltmarsh\u00a0and cliffs.<\/p> There are\u00a0occasionally\u00a0colonies found on dry heathland and open woodland,\u00a0where\u00a0the habitat\u00a0areas are well drained with\u00a0open and\u00a0bare ground\u00a0allowing for the graylings unique basking behaviour.\u00a0<\/p> One subspecies, the smallest of the\u00a0graylings, has colonies on the Great Orme<\/a> in North Wales,\u00a0where\u00a0they\u00a0are often found to emerge slightly earlier in the summer than other subspecies.\u00a0<\/p> This butterfly is normally found in colonies that range from fifty through to thousands of individuals with only one generation a year populating the colonies. The adults are rarely seen away from breeding areas. In the UK it is rare to see colonies this large with data records\u00a0stating\u00a0sightings of\u00a02-29 individuals to be most common.\u00a0<\/p> Graylings\u00a0feed on a variety of plants depending on\u00a0whether they are in\u00a0heathland\u00a0or coastal locations as well as what\u00a0stage of\u00a0their\u00a0life cycle they are at.\u00a0The caterpillars feed on grasses\u00a0such as sheep\u2019s fescue,\u00a0bristle bent, early hair\u00a0grass and marram grass.\u00a0While\u00a0the adults are nectar<\/a> feeders, feeding on plants such as\u00a0bramble<\/a>, heather<\/a>, thistles, red\u00a0clover\u00a0and sea holly<\/a>.<\/p> Graylings\u00a0do not feed\u00a0very\u00a0often\u00a0but are especially attracted to tree sap,\u00a0which aids their ability to conceal themselves while feeding.<\/p> Grayling populations are declining, and although not globally\u00a0endangered, they are a priority\u00a0in\u00a0butterfly conservation<\/a>\u00a0in the UK.\u00a0It has been noted that\u00a0graylings have declined by around 60% since the\u00a01970\u2019s\u00a0due to habitat loss along our coastlines in Britain and are now listed as endangered on the\u00a0Butterfly\u00a0Conservation\u00a0\u2018Red List\u2019<\/a>.<\/p> Changes at coastal habitats\u00a0from\u00a0human-built\u00a0features has caused\u00a0increased growth of grasses and other\u00a0vegetation\u00a0on sand dunes. This has reduced the amount of bare sand available, which is the graylings\u00a0preferred\u00a0habitat.\u00a0<\/p> Habitat maintenance work such as scrub control (the cutting back and clearing of vegetation) will be essential in reducing the decline in grayling population and providing them with a suitable environement.<\/p> Check out our comprehensive expert guide to British butterflies<\/a> and the best plants for pollinators<\/a>.<\/p>More fascinating butterfly facts<\/h3>
What do grayling butterflies eat?<\/h2>
What threats do graylings face?<\/h2>
Find out more about butterflies<\/h3>