The Sussex Grayling

I set off before 7am this morning for the long trek over the Downs to Deep Dene, the last known refuge of the Sussex Grayling. This is the rarest butterfly in Sussex, known from only one tetrad and unique among Grayling populations for living on the chalk downland. When I set out in May to try and find all 43 butterfly species resident in Sussex the Grayling was always the one I thought I was least likely to find amid concerns that it might have been lost from Sussex entirely. I arrived on site just after 8am. At first I was dazzled by blue - there were hundreds, if not thousands, of chalkhill blues covering the south facing slopes. I found my first Grayling at 08.15 - or rather it found me by alighting on my camera lens. Another three followed in quick succession and than an hour without any sightings. As the valley heated up I started to see them regularly and by 10am had a count of at least 12 distinct individuals which for this master of disguise is a remarkable total. When it lands it virtually disappears perfectly blended against the bare earth and stones with its wings closed. It is so confident in its camouflage that you can approach to within a few inches before it takes flight. I've seen reports of people searching all morning and only finding one or two so count myself as very lucky indeed.  I left at 10.30 having seen at least 15. Brings my species count up to 42.