Bug FAQHolly Azure
Celastrina idella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
Also called: American Holly Azure, Atlantic Holly Azure
Holly Azure butterflies are small, blue-gray skippers found along the Atlantic coastal plain from New Jersey to Georgia. Adults feed on nectar from several native plants, while the caterpillars eat the flower parts of male holly plants. They have a single spring flight from late April to late May, emerging after overwintering as pupae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper side of the wings is a uniform light or purplish blue, shinier in females, with a white fringe. The underside is light gray or white marked with dull black spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
This species is smaller than other azure skippers that live in the same area.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults sip nectar from highbush blueberry, sand myrtle, chokeberries, black cherry, red maple, and rock cress. Caterpillars feed on the flowering parts of male American holly, inkberry, smooth winterberry, and Yaupon holly.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation per year, with adults flying in spring between the northern and summer azure flight periods. Adults emerge in spring after spending the rest of the year as pupae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range follows the Atlantic coastal plain from New Jersey down to Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Northern azures are larger, fly earlier, and have brighter colors than Holly Azure. Spring azures look almost identical, but can be told apart by examining wing scale structure under a microscope.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I expect to see Holly Azure butterflies?
They are on the wing from late April through late May during the spring.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do Holly Azure caterpillars eat?
The caterpillars feed on the flower parts of male American holly, inkberry, smooth winterberry, and Yaupon holly.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell Holly Azure apart from similar azures?
Northern azures are larger and more colorful, while spring azures require microscopic inspection of wing scales to differentiate.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celastrina_idella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.