Holly blue

A very common ‘blue’ that flies from February-March to October. In spring it normally lays its eggs on the buds of bramble flowers but at the end of the summer it has a certain preference for egg-laying on the buds of ivy flowers. During the hottest days of summer, adults gather in shady humid places such as gullies and streams wherever there is a lot of ivy. Nevertheless, it is a very mobile species and individuals may appear far from their breeding sites. It typically rests on bramble leaves, often some distance above ground level. Its pale sky-blue colour makes it easily to identify in flight.  Underneath, the wings are a very pale shade of blue that separates this ‘blue’ from any other when its wings are closed. It spends the winter as a chrysalis.
Scientific name: Celastrina argiolus

See all butterflies of Menorca