Holly Blue

Holly Blue Butterfly

Photograph of a Holly Blue butterfly resting on a leaf. The Holly Blue is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 20mm and is found commonly in parts of the east and south.

Wexford County Library

Holly Blue Butterfly
Wexford County Library

Holly Blue Butterfly

Photograph of a Holly Blue butterfly resting on a leaf. The Holly Blue is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 20mm and is found commonly in parts of the east and south.

Wexford County Library

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Latin: Celastrina agriolus britanna

Irish: Gormán cuilinn

The Holly Blue is very local in distribution in the Wexford area, though this species does tend to roam rather than live in small colonies.

This particularly attractive species, the Holly Blue is double-brooded in County Wexford. In spring, eggs are normally laid in holly plants, whereas the second brood is normally laid in ivy.

The eggs hatch in one to two weeks and the caterpillar is fully grown within a month. The chrysalis stage during the early summer is about three to four weeks, whereas the second brood chrysalis is the form in which this butterfly hibernates through the winter.