www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I have noticed there is a strong colony of Holly Blue in the forest at Mountstewart, near where I live. The National Trust were going to clear area that they where in and replant it. I told Trevor Boyd from N.I. Butterfly Conservation and he is coming to verify them and get the work stopped.

I will show him area and hopefully he will get a better photo than I did, he has a DSLR, I don't. Hope this works as I have seen over 10+ and this is the summer brood, its not been recorded in the Ards area of Northern Ireland before. There was one record, but never confirmed.

I think there is more in other places, I have seen spring ones, but I don't know yet.

Well, I will let you know how I get on with this one.

Trevor came and went. I took hime to where I saw them, we saw abut 5-6 and an Elepahant Hawk Moth caterpillar and also, he went ant took photos of peacocks and red admirals which there were loads. It was a good day, around 20 degrees and warm and all this life about.

The Holly Blues were recorded here now, even though we got no pics as they flew to high and far away.

Good work Dave. Are Holly Blues rare enough in NI to warrant the withdrawl of a construction project?

Well, its the first time they were recorded in the Ards pinnunsila. Found more at another area. Trevor said work was fine to do as it only cleared dead brambles and Japanese knotweed. Then its being replanted. Holly blues seemed far enough away, just need to find where holly and ivy bushes are, so they can be safe.

Holly Blues in N.I. are protected and should stop anything happening to them.

While I was with Trevor Boyd, he said that in Dublin there has be recent records of a 3rd Holly Blue brood from October-November. Never knew that before. Anywhere else this could be?

Found a female at another location in Mountstewart. Was resting I think, found easy to approach:

How common are Holly Blues? I found another patch of Holly and Ivy, and there was 4+ Holly blues around it.



Is this a female? Or a worn male? This was not easy to get as there was so many hover flies, flies. bees and wasps around the ivy buds. It did not land much.

I noticed since the first species I seen in March, that location, they have not been seen again, but outside my house, in a forest not to far away, in the forest edge where this was, about half mile away from others and nearly anywhere I have seen Holly and ivy, there are these holly blue.

Seems I am finding a lot of these about. I have found 6 different locations this year to hold Holly blue. And usually good numbers too.