Return to moorhen home page
Return to section index
Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 13
Image Taken on 07 May 2022
at 16:28 Image of day on 13 Jun 2022
Two views of a female Holly Blue Butterfly.
Females have much darker markings on the wings tips than the males.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220613_df3_20220507_1628_281+286 holly blue butterfly female (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Aug 2022
at 14:42 Image of day on 20 Sep 2022
A female Holly Blue butterfly feeding on late blackberry flowers.
This is a new emergent - they have two broods a year.
.jpg)
Ref: 20220920_d72_20220806_1442_065 holly blue butterfly female 2nd brood on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Aug 2022
at 16:26 Image of day on 20 Sep 2022
This single female 'haunted' the side of the garage for 3 days.
Here she catches the shadow of an adjacent unopened head
of blackberry flowers to make an interesting pattern.
.jpg)
Ref: 20220920_d72_20220806_1626_089 holly blue butterfly female 2nd brood on blackberry flower with shadow of buds on wing(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2016
at 11:08 Image of day on 30 Jul 2016
We have come to think of our Oxeye Daisies as having limited value as a food
source, so were pleasantly surprised to see that Holly Blue Butterfly actively
feeding on a flower head.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20160730_df3_20160615_1108_018 holly blue butterfly female feeding of oxeye daisy (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019
at 16:06 Image of day on 21 Oct 2019
The female Holly Blue Butterfly is a small insect.
The bottom of the wings is a soft blue with characteristic pattern of dots, while the top
of the wings is a much darker blue, the female (here) also having the dark edge.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20191021_da1_20190825_1606_168+1607_180_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in 2 flights (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019
at 16:10 Image of day on 21 Oct 2019
The female Holly Blue Butterfly is a small insect.
The bottom of the wings is a soft blue with characteristic pattern of dots, while the top
of the wings is a much darker blue, the female (here) also having the dark edge.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20191021_da1_20190825_1610_201+1608_189_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in 2 flights (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019
at 16:06 Image of day on 21 Oct 2019
The female Holly Blue Butterfly is a small insect, as you can see relative to this
smaller than average Oxeye Daisy.
The bottom of the wings is a soft blue with characteristic pattern of dots, while the top
of the wings is a much darker blue, the female (here) also having the dark edge.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20191021_da1_20190825_1606_168+1128_031_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in flight + oxeye daisy flower (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 01 May 2011
at 15:08 Image of day on 31 May 2011
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110531_da1_20110501_1508_154+1517_166_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in flight with red campion flower (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 May 2011
at 15:04 Image of day on 31 May 2011
A 3 weeks ago we brought you the male Holly Blue butterfly.
Here is the subtly different female with different top of the
wing but similar underwing
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110531_da1_20110501_1504_127+1517_167_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in flight with red campion flowers (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2016
at 11:09 Image of day on 30 Jul 2016
The Holly Blue Butterfly flew up into the adjacent Oak tree to sun itself,
surprisingly well camouflaged - we saw it land and still had trouble finding it.
.jpg)
Ref: 20160730_df3_20160615_1109_022 holly blue butterfly female in oak leaves(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Jul 2020
at 10:48 Image of day on 09 Aug 2020
This second brood female Holly Blue Butterfly was flitting about the hedge along the
West side of the access track.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200809_d73_20200706_1048_007+1049_015 holly blue butterfly female second brood (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Aug 2016
at 12:55 Image of day on 02 Oct 2016
Only the female Holly Blue Butterfly has this dark edge on the top
of the wings - the male has barely a trace.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20161002_df3_20160813_1255_006 holly blue butterfly female showing top of wings (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Apr 2019
at 15:01 Image of day on 22 May 2019
This Holly Blue Butterfly shows the top of the wings on the left, and the
bottoms and on the right. As usual we then sent him on his way across the fields.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190522_da1_20190422_1501_165+1458_145+20190421_1545_299_ft1 holly blue butterfly in 2 flights + green alkanet (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Apr 2019
at 14:59 Image of day on 22 May 2019
Blue Butterflies are not well represented here, so we were pleased that an
hour's effort 'bagged' this male Holly Blue Butterfly which obliged with a few flights.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20190522_da1_20190422_1459_151+20190421_1310_145_ft1 holly blue butterfly in flight with forget-me-not flower (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Mar 2019
at 15:30 Image of day on 22 Apr 2019
An apparently very early sighting of a Holly Blue Butterfly in late March.
 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20190422_df3_20190325_1530_077 holly blue butterfly male (1st of 2019) (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Mar 2019
at 15:33 Image of day on 22 Apr 2019
The Holly Blue Butterfly seemed reluctant to open his wings so we could
be sure of the sex, but finally HE did.
 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190422_df3_20190325_1533_104 holly blue butterfly male (1st of 2019) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 May 2023
at 13:08 Image of day on 09 Jun 2023
Seen transiently 2 days before, at last we get a photo of a male Holly Blue Butterfly.
The 'top' of the wing of the male is this light blue - the females look similar on the multi-dotted
underwing, but has a much darker top wing. We haven't photographed a female yet this year
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20230609_df3_20230503_1308_088 holly blue butterfly male (1st seen 01may2023)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Apr 2022
at 12:22 Image of day on 30 May 2022
We first saw a Holly Blue butterfly 6 days before this pic.
You can see both sides of the wing with similar colour but different markings.
 3 of 3(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20220530_d72_20220424_1222_073 holly blue butterfly male (first seen 18apr2022 - visual id only) 3 of 3(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Aug 2021
at 10:44 Image of day on 13 Sep 2021
A sighting of a male Holly Blue butterfly which has the top of
the wings a blue rather than darker and black edged female.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210913_d73_20210812_1044_010 holly blue butterfly male (shows both sides of wing)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Aug 2023
at 12:47 Image of day on 29 Sep 2023
Here is the same individual showing that the wing shape and even colour don't do
a bad job of camouflage when perched. In flight their path is so erratic it will
evade a lot of predators - it certainly evades this cameraman - though probably
not the agile Dragonflies.
.jpg)
Ref: 20230929_df3_20230809_1247_044 holly blue butterfly male 2nd brood disguised on leaf(r+mb id@432).jpg
Comments and requests for image use
To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full
resolution image, send us an email including the reference or
the date for the image you are interested in.
All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-
