Tree grayling facts for kids
The tree grayling (scientific name: Hipparchia statilinus) is a type of butterfly. It belongs to a family of butterflies called Nymphalidae.
Quick facts for kids Tree grayling |
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| Hipparchia statilinus. Male, side view | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Hipparchia |
| Species: |
H. statilinus
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| Binomial name | |
| Hipparchia statilinus Hufnagel, 1766
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| Hipparchia statilinus distribution | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Where They Live
You can find the tree grayling butterfly in many places. They live across Central Europe and Southern Europe. They are also found in North Africa, a region called Anatolia, and the Caucasus mountains.
Their Home
These butterflies like dry, rocky places. They often live in areas with grass and bushes. You can find them from sea level up to about 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) high.
What They Look Like
The tree grayling butterfly has a wingspan of about 60 to 68 millimeters (2.4 to 2.7 inches). This means their wings stretch out that far.
Their wings can look a bit different from one butterfly to another. This is especially true for the brown colors and white stripes. Usually, the top side of the male's wings is a dull brown. Females often have lighter, more yellowish-brown wings. All of them have a fringe of hairs along the edges of their wings.
You might see two black eyespots on their front wings. These spots can be hard to see or have no white center. Their back wings usually have a very small eyespot.
The underside of their wings looks like a mix of yellowish-brown and dusty white stripes. On the underside of each front wing, there are two black eyespots. These are ringed in yellow, and the top one has a white spot in its center. Between these two black spots, there are also two small white spots. The underside of the back wings might have a black spot near the edge.
The young butterflies, called caterpillars, are greenish-beige. They have long stripes that are green-brown.
Life and Habits
The tree grayling butterfly is a univoltine species. This means they have only one generation of butterflies each year.
The caterpillars eat different kinds of common grasses. These include plants from the Poaceae family, like Bromus erectus and Festuca ovina. They also eat some plants from the Cyperaceae family, like Carex species.
Adult butterflies fly from June to October. You can often see them resting on rocky ground. They close their wings to warm up in the sun.
Gallery
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Female
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Female underside
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Male
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Male underside
 | Isaac Myers |
 | D. Hamilton Jackson |
 | A. Philip Randolph |
