Â鶹Éç

Holly blue butterfly

Holly blue butterfly

Last updated: 11 April 2008

Holly blues thrive in parks, gardens and churchyards where the holly and ivy they require for egg laying are in abundant supply. As a result their range has spread and there are now 46% more in Wales than there were in the 1970s.

Their blue wings are edged with a black border on the upper side, and the pale blue underside is sparsely speckled with black spots.

Holly blues are found in the countryside along hedgerows, field margins and woodland rides, as well as in gardens and parks.

The common blue butterfly is similar in appearance, but has pale brown underwings with lots of black and orange dots fringed with white.

The holly blue is the more likely garden visitor, and will fly much higher around bushes and trees. The common blue is mainly seen fluttering over flower-rich grasslands.

A parasitic wasp called Listrodomus nycthemerus will only lay its eggs in holly blue caterpillars. As a result, the holly blue numbers fluctuate on a cyclical basis according to the abundance of parasites.


Bookmark this page:

Try one of the walks from Derek's latest walking series on Â鶹Éç One Wales.

Wildlife

Toads by Brian Stone

In your garden

Find out about the wildlife you can find on your doorstep.

A fin whale

Wildlife photos

A gallery featuring rare and unusual wildlife sightings in Wales.

Wildlife map of Wales

Â鶹Éç Wales Nature map

Explore Wales

Zoom in and discover wildlife in your area with our interactive map.

Â鶹Éç iD

Â鶹Éç navigation

Â鶹Éç © 2014 The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.