Holly blue
Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status not recordedbutterflies and moths
The holly blue (Celastrina argiolus) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, placed in the family Lycaenidae. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera, superfamily Papilionoidea, subfamily Polyommatinae and tribe Polyommatini, within the genus Celastrina.
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Quick facts about the holly blue
Other English names for it include Spring azure and Holly blue butterfly, and its scientific name authority is (Linnaeus, 1758).
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 2.1 cm – 3.2 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Nectarivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- flowerssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forest, human_modified, shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- On the wing
- January, March to Octobersrc for On the wing
- Generations a year
- Severalsrc for Generations a year
- Larval food plants
- Fabaceae familysrc for Larval food plants
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the holly blue?
Photos of the holly blue
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the holly blue live?
Not recorded
What is the holly blue?
The Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus) is a butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family and is native to the Palearctic.
From the Wikipedia article “Holly blue” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holly_blue&oldid=1382178642), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the holly blue endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the holly blue classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classInsecta
- orderLepidoptera
- familyLycaenidae
- genusCelastrina
- SpeciesCelastrina argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Argus argiolus, Celastrina c-nigrum, Celastrina kobei, Cyaniris aquilina, Cyaniris argiolus, Cyaniris expansa, Cyaniris microdes, Cyaniris subtusradiata, Lycaena argiolus, Lycaena nigra, Lycaenopsis anteatrata, Lycaenopsis argiolus, Lycaenopsis mixta, Papilio acis, Papilio argalus, Papilio argiolus, Papilio argrophontes, Papilio cleobis, Papilio marginatus, Papilio thersanon, Polyommatus argiolus
Other names and names in other languages (55)
- Holly blue butterflyEnglish
- Spring azureEnglish
- Blaveta de l'heuraCatalan
- modrásek krušinovýCzech
- Glesyn CelynWelsh
- Gleision CelynWelsh
- Glesyn y celynWelsh
- MoseblåfuglDanish
- Krat-blaavingeDanish
- SkovblåfuglDanish
- Garten-BläulingGerman
- Faulbaum-BläulingGerman
- FaulbaumbläulingGerman
- NáyadeSpanish
- Kevad-sinitiibEstonian
- paatsamasinisiipiFinnish
- azur printanierFrench
- Argus à bande noireFrench
- Azuré des nerprunsFrench
- SprakelbeamblaujurkjeWestern Frisian
- Gormán cuilinnIrish
- dealan-dè na cuilinnScottish Gaelic
- dealain-dè na cuilinnScottish Gaelic
- Gorrymag hollinManx
- כחליל הקיסוסHebrew
- תכול-כנף קיסוסיHebrew
- Krkovin plavacCroatian
- Vrijeskov plavacCroatian
- BengeboglárkaHungarian
- Licenide del rovoItalian
- ルリシジミJapanese
- 푸른부전나비Korean
- FaulbambläulingLuxembourgish
- Žydrasis MelsvysLithuanian
- Krūkļu zilenītisLatvian
- vårblåvingeNorwegian Bokmål
- BoomblauwtjeDutch
- vårblåvengNorwegian Nynorsk
- Modraszek wieszczekPolish
- Celastrina argiolusPiedmontese
- Azul-celestePortuguese
- Голубянка весенняяRussian
- Голубянка крушиннаяRussian
- Modráčik krušinovýSlovak
- svetli krhlikarSlovenian
- Обрубљени плавацSerbian
- tosteblåvingeSwedish
- ผีเสื้อฟ้าพุ่มจินเทียThai
- Kutsal MaviTurkish
- Синявець крушиновийUkrainian
- 琉灰蝶Chinese
- 冬青琉灰蝶Chinese
- 琉璃小灰蝶Chinese
- 琉璃灰蝶Chinese
- 瑠璃小灰蝶Chinese
Relatives of the holly blue
Other species in the same genus Celastrina.
Spring azure
Celastrina ladon
Plain hedge blue
Celastrina lavendularis
Silvery hedge blue
Celastrina gigas
Dusky azure
Celastrina nigra
Large hedge blue
Celastrina huegeli
Lucia azure
Celastrina lucia
CompareHolly blue vs Spring azureHolly blue vs Plain hedge blueHolly blue vs Silvery hedge blueHolly blue vs Dusky azure
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the holly blue?
The holly blue is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, belonging to the order Lepidoptera.
What is the scientific name of the holly blue?
Its scientific name is Celastrina argiolus, placed in the genus Celastrina.
What family does the holly blue belong to?
The holly blue belongs to the family Lycaenidae, subfamily Polyommatinae and tribe Polyommatini.
What other names does the holly blue have?
It is also called Spring azure and Holly blue butterfly.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1 - TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe · CC BY 4.0 · 2.0
Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/holly-blue
“Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/holly-blue.
@misc{holly_blue_2026,
title = {Holly blue (Celastrina argiolus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/holly-blue},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}