The Holly Blue Butterfly (Celastrina argiolus) belongs to the Lycaenidae family – the blues family. It is also called the Hill Hedge Blue or the Echo Blue.
The Holly Blue Butterfly has pale silver-blue wings spotted with pale dots. The female has a margin of dark colour on her hind wings (back wings). Its underside is silvery-white.
Holly Blue Butterfly
It measures about 6 centimetres (2.5 inches) across.
The Holly Blue Butterfly is native to North America and Eurasia – from Europe to south Asia, especially in Pakistan and India.
The caterpillar eats plants, specifically the holly plant (Ilex aquifolium). Adult butterflies sip nectar from flowers.
Females lay flat, whitish eggs on plant leaves. The eggs hatch into green or brown larvae (caterpillars) with yellowish-white markings. Caterpillars pupate – they make a chrysalis, which is a casing. Inside the casing, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis (changes), and it emerges as an adult butterfly.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM