Holly Blue vs Squash Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Holly Blue	Squash Bee
Scientific Name	Celastrina argiolus	Peponapis pruinosa
Order	Lepidoptera	Hymenoptera
Family	Lycaenidae	Apidae
Size	26-34 mm wingspan	12-14 mm
Habitat	Underground	Farmland
Diet	Nectar Feeders	Nectar Feeders
Regions	Europe, North Africa, Asia, North America	North America, Central America
Conservation	Least Concern	Not Evaluated

Holly Blue

Pale silvery-blue butterfly with small black dots on the underside. Alternates between holly and ivy as host plants between spring and summer broods.

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Did You Know?

Population numbers cycle dramatically every few years due to a parasitic wasp that tracks its abundance.

Squash Bee

A solitary ground-nesting bee that specializes exclusively in pollinating squash, pumpkin, and gourd flowers. It begins foraging before dawn when cucurbit flowers first open.

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Did You Know?

Males often sleep inside closed squash blossoms at night, occasionally getting trapped when the flower wilts.