There are several species of blue butterfly that may be encountered in our region but this blog concerns the two most likely to be seen, the Common Blue and the Holly Blue. In most cases it is only the males that are actually blue and the females are a browner colour although this can vary and sometimes they appear almost blue as well.
The Common Blue as the name suggests is our most common blue butterfly and can be found on the wing between May and October over any kind of grassland. When found perched on a stem of grass or flowers it will often open it's wings wide in the sun to show off the vivid blue colouration but if seen in the shade or on a cloudy day the wings are normally closed revealing the undersides which are grey/brown in colour with white ringed black spots and orange blobs along the back edges. The caterpillars are mainly plain green in colour and are short and squat in shape feeding on clovers and related plants.
The Holly Blue is much more likely to be found near trees and large shrubs than on grassland and is on the wing between March and October. Also when seen it is much more likely to have its wings closed even in the sunshine and it is here that you can see the difference between it and the Common Blue. The wing underside is silvery blue in colour with small black dots without noticeable rings, also there is no orange colouration at all. The caterpillars again are mainly bright green, possibly yellow and feed on Holly, Gorse and several other shrubs in the spring and more commonly on Ivy in the late summer. These pictures of the Holly Blue are some of my favourite photos taken thus far!
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