61.012 Celestrina argiolus (Holly Blue)
ws: 26-34mm; trivoltine in S.England
Mar-Oct, bivoltine Apr-Sep further north; holly (Ilex aquifolium) in spring,
ivy (Hedera helix) in summer; common in England and Wales.
Celestrina argiolus (Holly Blue) §1
ID: Both sexes have a bright blue upperside with black borders, broader in the forewing and in females. The fringes are white chequered with black. The undersides are blue-grey with small black spots. The absence of any orange spots on the underside separates C.argiolus from all other British blues except Cupido minimus (Small Blue), which has a blackish upperside in the male, brownish in the female.
§1 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 20/04/2007
§2 Foulness, Essex; 04/05/2014; male; fw 16.9mm
§3 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 23/04/2020; male; fw 15.3mm
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Foulness, Essex; 04/05/2014; male; fw 16.9mm
§3 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 23/04/2020; male; fw 15.3mm
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 18/07/2014 (§1) | §2 added 28/07/2014 | §3 added 28/04/2020
