Holly Blue - Favourite Photo of 2024

[Wurzel]

Holly Blue - Favourite Photo of 2024

Week 8

So with the Social passed and the weather really turning wintry (for now at any rate) what better time to snuggle up with the warmth of the laptop and continue selecting your Favourite shots from 2023?

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbutterflyer]

Holly Blue - Favourite Photo of 2024

Week 8

So with the Social passed and the weather really turning wintry (for now at any rate) what better time to snuggle up with the warmth of the laptop and continue selecting your Favourite shots from 2023?

I miss 2023's brilliant summer too Wurzel!

Holly Blues had an okay year here. The spring brood was amazing, but numbers in the summer and autumn certainly didn't match that. In fact, the spring brood was so amazing that at one point I kept getting confused by Holly Blues while looking for Common Blues (largely in vain) in the meadow of my local park!

At the BC Sussex AGM a presenter (who's name evades me now!) mentioned how this year's decline for this species was not too concerning, considering the 2022 drought that may have eliminated parasites and allowed very good numbers in 2023. Something that hadn't occurred to me before, and found interesting! I wonder why a similar thing didn't happen with Small Torties last year?

Female Holly Blue, 1st Gen, Chapel Bank, Surrey

[Butterfly_Julian]

This was our first Holly Blue to visit the wild space that I am creating on our garden.
Female see on the 22nd May, in fact all my photos of the Holly Blue taken this year were female, no idea why, just happened.

Julian

[Goldie M]

I couldn't go wrong for Holly Blues this Summer they seemed to be the only Butterfly that had a really good season a round here, although I've just posted some shots of the Hollies I couldn't resist yet another photo taken on the 7th June in my Garden Goldie

[ChrisStamp]

This female was from Wormit nature trail in north Fife in the spring.

[David Lazarus]

The boom year during 2023 was not repeated during 2024 around Chelmsford and mid-Essex. The second brood was particularly poor. This included a reduced emergence of the little colony within the gardens I manage, with a maximum of 3 seen during Spring at any one time. Later in the year I only saw one male during August which was probably a visitor. The only time I saw double figures during 2024 was on a trip to Rainham Marshes. This meant I rarely had the opportunity to capture their image anywhere on my journey around the county, but this female in my garden was pleasing:

Holly Blue female
Garden on Meadgate Avenue 29/05/2024

And a male from the local park earlier in the year:

Holly Blue male
Meadgate Park 18/04/2024

Despite my lack of sightings, surprisingly very high numbers were seen on a number of occasions in the north-east of the county at Holland-on-Sea - so not all bad news.

Edit: refers to posts on the Cambridgeshire & Essex sightings web page, one of which states: 104 holly blues along a 0.4 mile footpath, the most we've ever seen in one visit. An incredible sight. on 26th May Eastcliff Sports Ground footpath, Holland-on-Sea

[ChrisStamp]

surprisingly 100+ were seen on a number of occasions in the north-east of the county near Frinton-on-Sea

I've heard before of large numbers of Holly blues at points on the east coast (eg Yorkshire), and here in Scotland they spread very rapidly up the east coast, apparently making very little headway inland. I wonder why that should be. Some speculations: (i) they particularly favour something about coastal habitat - although I can't think of any reason other than maybe the prospect of milder winters (ii) they head east for some reason and are stopped at the coast, accumulating there (iii) migrants come in off the north sea and settle on arrival (iv) the coast doesn't suit predatory wasps for some reason.

Holly blues seem to be quite mobile on a population scale, and pressure from wasps seems quite likely to have something to do with that - maybe a proportion of the population being wanderers gives some respite from larval predation, and large gatherings on the coast and colonising new territory rapidly are just side-effects of that.

Any insights welcome!

[David Lazarus]

Interesting Chris, probably needs a new thread to explore this topic in more detail.

[millerd]

Holly Blues are a staple on my local patch, and in most years will peak during the second brood with 50+ being counted. The "boom and bust" fluctuations that afflict the species because of its relationship with its parasite don't seem to have greatly affected them hereabouts in previous years - until perhaps this summer.

I saw good numbers in the spring as usual...

...but then they became distinctly thin on the ground during the summer...

...and the usual third brood only managed a handful - for the first time in a while they didn't make it much beyond September.

Male Holly Blues do like to puddle for salts, and have a particular taste for bird droppings.

However, this next one possibly had an uphill task ahead...

Finally, a slightly unusual combination to come across during a cloudy spell back in April.

I think the Orange Tip was probably there first - they are much pickier about where they settle.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Holly Blue

Each year I hope and live in the anticipation of an audience with a stunning Holly Blue. I love it when these arrive on the scene as they are so different from the other species that are flying at around the same time which are essentially variations upon a theme of tones and browns/oranges. Whereas the Holly Blue is totally different. This year at Five Rivers I hit the jackpot with at least three different individuals down low enough for a few shots. By far the most easy on the eye was this male which looked immaculate (especially compared to his weather beaten rival). Despite catching up with this species several more times across the year it was this one that I always thought of when Holly Blues came up in conversation or in my thoughts; hence it was an obvious choice.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[PhilBJohnson]

April 29th 2024 At rest

2024 Holly blue sightings were significant for me, because I did not get to see hardly any summer generation.
At least three more "urbanisers" in my neighbourhood, saw fit to remove another ancient ivy. That actually happened quite frequently in urban environments, when there was a change of land ownership and a new home maker (often younger with more energy) and just didn't like it.
At about this point, someone stops and has a rant, followed by another attack on a native ivy.
It was acknowledged that native header helix can damage precious buildings and as a gardener, our advice was not to let it climb there, except for in exceptional derelict circumstances and we remove it frequently for clients. It was however, in the right location, essential for the life cycle of Holly blue butterflies and other ivy's were just not good enough for life cycle and habitat requirements.
Closed board fences, native ivy was also a problem on, where it grew on one side out of the ground and then appeared on the other side (neighbours side). It clung so tight, that when pulled off, after it had died, having been cut back, it left unsightly marks, if the lap was still intact.

However, on some old dry stone walls and some other boundary features, climbing through hedges it might have been much more useful for wildlife in countryside areas, if prune managed away from the most precious built structures.
Another gardening misnomer, was to say that "all ivy needed removing" . Some species and varieties were much less vigorous, did not have ancient trunks that grew "thicker than your arm".
So there I was in 2024, just one half decent photo of a Spring Holly blue and a record of a female ovipositing on Holly flower buds (a first for me) in Lincolnshire on May 9th 2024 am, on the boundary of a private garden, my mobile phone camera not fully focused, while someone was trying to keep in touch with my spouse,
Kind Regards

[David M]

The poor April gave me precious few opportunities to observe this species locally. The only female I took an image of was this one, seen at Cwm Ivy on 18th April:

[Neil Freeman]

A poor year for Holly Blue around my local patch in Solihull with low numbers seen of both spring and summer broods. I have never seen a third brood example around here.

I obnly managed a hamdful of photos this year of which the male below, seen in my garden in April, was about the best.

Holly Blue male - Coverdale 19.04.2024

Cheers.

Neil.

[Allan.W.]

A couple of late ones for the Holly Blue thread...........never have much luck with open wing shots with this species ,so pleased with an "almost " male from Crundale, Kent, and Blue on Blue.........on a Bluebell from Orlestone.

[David M]

....never have much luck with open wing shots with this species...

They do tend to open up fully in weak light, Allan. Early in the day or with hazy cloud gives you a good opportunity.

[Allan.W.]

Thanks David......Although like many here i,ve seen hundreds.........they're still my "Bogey" species .....at least photgraph- wise .I shall have to find a reliable spot ,and stake them out as you suggest in dull,overcast weather ! Regards and Seasons Greetings .Allan.W.

[bugboy]

Not many around this past season but here's a female who sat still for a bit

[David T]

All my photo's this year were from the spring brood. After that there were very few sightings, the last sighting was an out of the blue sighting on the 16th October.

Male Holly Blue - Houghton Regis 7th April 2024 @ 15:41pm

Pair of Holly Blues - Hougton Regis 12th April 2024 @ 13:56pm

Female Holly Blue - Houghton Regis 8th May @ 11:28am