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Tag Archives: Grayling butterfly

Graylings are go

08 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Aberbargoed spoil tip, British butterflies, butterfly, Grayling, Grayling butterfly

I think I picked the hottest day of the year so far to head to the top of the Aberbargoed coal spoil tip to look for Graylings but it was worth every drop of perspiration to spend time with these gorgeous butterflies.

220708 grayling (1)

I hadn’t realised before yesterday how territorial Graylings are. They are so well disguised that it’s almost impossible to see them so, as I wandered carefully across the slope of coal spoil, they would fly up almost from under my feet. Then they would land, I’d try to get close for a photo, and they would immediately flit up and around, buzzing me, even landing on me (my shoes twice, see the image below), as if saying ‘this is my place, you’re not welcome’. It wasn’t just the intrusive human they were bombarding – they were defending their territories against each other too. Fascinating to watch.

220708 grayling (2)

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Graylings galore

16 Friday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Tags

Aberbargoed coal tip, Aberbargoed spoil tip, British butterflies, Grayling, Grayling butterfly

Yesterday I almost melted with the searing heat but I have only myself to blame for choosing one of the hottest days of the year to go looking for butterflies on top of a colliery spoil tip. And it was worth every drop of perspiration as I saw more Graylings than I’ve ever seen before – at least 20, probably more.

210715 grayling (1)

The wing markings of these butterflies is so cryptic that they almost disappear into the landscape. Even when I watched closely where they landed, I sometimes couldn’t find them again until they moved. They’re magicians!

210715 grayling (2)

Oh, and just a heads up for those of you in Britain – today marks the start of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2021, a three-week period when we are all urged to record our sightings to help with the conservation of our butterfly species. You can read all about it on Butterfly Conservation’s website.

210715 grayling (3)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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