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Week 6

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one)!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Here are 2 Graylings from the South of France, possibly male and female. I managed to get some reasonable close-ups this year which I hope is a sign of improving field craft.
17th August 6th September Chris

Only got up close and personal with this species once during 2014, and that was whilst visiting the Pembrokeshire Silver Studded Blue site near Bosherston on 28th June.

I watched whilst a pair of Graylings were locked in coitus. Once over, the female simply walked away leaving the male a little shellshocked and bereft of what to do next:

I was very surprised with the Grayling photo I took because it was so unexpected, it was a very hot day on the 16th of June at Gaits Barrow and the last thing I was looking for was a Grayling knowing they usually present themselves in July so when I saw this one I was very pleased and amazed Goldie

Grayling

This was taken at Godshill which is my regular site for Grayling. It’s my favourite as it was one of the last shots from a fantastic few hours spent wandering a little triangle of heath at the bottom of the valley. the sandy and dusty track is something of a hotspot and once again produced the goods this year with some other great sightings too.

After a happy but dry and hot few hours I had to head home and so I turned to head for the hill. I stopped again within a few paces to watch a couple of Grayling feasting on a pile of horse manure. As I approached one butterfly it took off and headed around me a few times before settling on my trousers. It sees that my ploy for attracting His Nibbs had paid off, albeit for a different species! Have a goodun

Wurzel

A couple of pictures here of a mating pair from Windover Hill this July.

I luckily have this species not too far away at Dawney's Hill near Woking, which is also good for Silver-studded Blues. A couple of the visits I made here this year were late in the day, and I noticed that once the sun went down beyond a certain point, instead of their usual shorts flights before utterly disappearing again against the sandy ground, they would set off to roost in the trees on the western side of the heath. I presume this is so they catch the first of the morning sunshine. I saw them from early July to early September, but this is my favourite from 13th July, trying hard (and largely succeeding) to look like the bits of wood and ground litter it had settled on. Dave

Most of the Graylings that I saw this year were around Durdle Door in Dorset when I was there in late August / early September when I saw good numbers between the car park and a small valley with the wonderful name of 'Scratchy Bottom'. I had a few walks around this area and a number of times witnessed what I believe was females rejecting the advances of males, during which they would flick their wings open until the male took the hint and departed.
I managed to capture this a few times and the following shots are favourites because, although they are not that good technically or artistically, they capture moments of behaviour that I had not seen before and bring back great memories of watching these butterflies
Cheers,

Neil

Graylings are among the best butterflies to watch if you are looking for examples of real Behaviour. I'd heard of them hiding on the trunks of pine trees, but never witnessed this until this year. It's easy to imagine them becoming invisible once they tuck their forewings away. The second photo is the traditional 'find the Grayling' shot, which really ought to have its own annual thread.

(Both photos from southern France; Grayling is a rarity in my part of the country that I don't come across every year).

Matsukaze wrote:The second photo is the traditional 'find the Grayling' shot, which really ought to have its own annual thread.

I could only find it when I inflated the image (which just proves how indistinct they are when at rest).

I agree - competition of the month

Cheers,

- Pete

I have one particular photo that is my candidate for this species (ssp. atlantica), simply due to the effort taken to get it, which you can read about here:

http://www.dispar.org/reference.php?id=83
Cheers,

- Pete