Grayling butterflies steal the show at Rosenannon Downs

Camouflage only works until a butterfly decides to move. Ten nature and wildlife enthusiasts spent a morning finding that out on Rosenannon Downs, where a heathland trail kept turning up Grayling butterflies that had been sitting in plain sight the whole time, wings closed, blending straight into the bare ground and gravel.

📷Grayling

A dozen species before the coffee break

The walk, organised by Connect with Nature, turned into a proper tally. Across the morning the group recorded twelve species of butterfly: Grayling, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Small Heath, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Green-veined White, Large White and Small White. A scatter of moths, bees and birds were noted along the way too.

It was the Grayling that stole the morning, though. The species is notoriously hard to spot at rest, its mottled underwing a near-perfect match for dry heath and bare soil, and it usually only gives itself away when it takes off from underfoot.

📷Mating pair of Grayling

The best place to see them

Rowena Castillo-Nicholls, Founder and Chair of Connect with Nature, RSPB Kernow Group Leader and Publicity Officer of Cornwall Birds, organised the event and rates Rosenannon Downs highly for exactly this kind of outing. “It’s the best place to see the Grayling butterflies,” she said, “easy access, free parking, peaceful and quiet.”

Rob Nicholls led the fieldtrip on the day, guiding the group of ten across the Downs as they worked their way through the site’s mix of heath and open grassland.

Who was there

The group was made up of Mike Scawen, Sue Netherton, Gill Tembo, Jonathan Caine, Lesley Dent, Lennie Dent, Rowena Castillo-Nicholls, Rob Nicholls, Gary Batchelor and Alison Jones. Between them they covered the ground with binoculars, cameras and a fair amount of patience, given how often a Grayling only reveals itself by flying.

The walk wound up back where mornings like this usually do, over coffee, tea and biscuits, comparing notes on what had been seen and what had nearly been missed.

📷Group photo: Mike Scawen, Sue Netherton, Gill Tembo, Jonathan Caine, Lesley Dent, Lennie Dent, Rowena Castillo-Nicholls, Rob Nicholls, Gary Batchelor, and Alison Jones