Celastrina argiolus
WINGSPAN 2.6 to 3.4cm (1 to 1⅜in)
HABITAT Gardens, woodlands, hedgerows and parks
DISTRIBUTION Eurasia and North America
LIFESPAN 14 days
MALES AND FEMALES Bright blue wings; females have black wing edges
This pretty blue butterfly emerges before most other Blues in spring and can often be found fluttering around bushes and trees. Food plants include Holly in spring and Ivy in summer; because of this it is frequently spotted in churchyards, where both bushes often grow. Numbers of the Holly Blue fluctuate from year to year, mainly because of the parasitic ichneumon wasp (Listrodomus nycthemerus) which injects its eggs into the larvae.