charliedoggett.net
Butterflies photographed in Costa Rica and nearby
. . . is sometimes called a “Hummingbird Moth,” though I think it looks more like a “flying shrimp;” 🙂 but whatever, it is an interesting visitor to my garden and this year in June (2025) makes only the 3rd time I’ve seen it. Here’s two photos from this sighting and see my earlier photos in the GALLERY: Titan Sphinx Moth.
The Statira Sulphur, Phoebis statira OR Aphrissa statira (linked to my gallery) may be considered rather plain by some people, but I think the ones like this with clean, simple features are very attractive. While others of this species, that you can see in my gallery, have some brown trim on their wings and a brown spot in the forward wing. I haven’t learned yet if that is a sexual difference (common in many species) or just is in some of this species. Only this one “clean” image in today’s post. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Wellllllll . . . it is a Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian BUTTERFLY! 🙂 (Linked to my gallery.) And this one is the first I’ve seen in my garden and only my third in Costa Rica, with the other two at Xandari Resort Alajuela and El Castillo-Arenal in the Butterfly Conservatory. The scientific name is Heliconius charithonia and it is found throughout South & Central Americas up into the southern half of the U.S. At the time of this writing in June, 490 had been observed & photographed in CR on iNaturalistCR.
This is a new species for me and evidently not seen by many since it is not even listed on BAMONA and I am only the 4th person to report observing one on iNaturalist Costa Rica. And of course I think mine are the best photos! 🙂 The Crassus Swallowtail, Battus crassus is found from Costa Rica south to parts of Venezuela & Ecuador. The most photos are found on iNaturalist Ecuador, with 27 observations, while Panama has 5 and Venezuela 4 like us. See all 10 of my photos of this unique butterfly in my GALLERY: Crassus Swallowtail. Here’s just two of those shots . . .
¡Pura Vida!
Or “Tiger-striped Longwing” as the 2 general common names with 6 different sub-species listed on iNaturalist. For this one from my garden I have not identified the sub-species yet, though in my gallery I have photos of the ssp. Clarescens which is endemic to Southwestern Costa Rica (Pacific Coast). See more images in my gallery Ismenius Tiger. Found only in Central American.
¡Pura Vida!
Or if you prefer, use this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2025-July-1-6-Esquinas-Rainforest-Lodge
I consider these “Trip Galleries” the best of all my photo galleries where I put only the best photos from that experience. Then I link some of these photos to subject galleries such as a bird species gallery, etc. The trip galleries can also be of help if you plan a trip to one of these wonderful places I visit here in Costa Rica! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
This butterfly is a new species for me, from Esquinas Rainforest Lodge: Whitened Eyed-Metalmark, Mesosemia zonalis (linked to iNaturalist Costa Rica with only 21 observations with mine making it 22). It is found from Honduras south to Columbia, but not seen frequently. My new Gallery: Whitened Eyed-Metalmark has only these three photos now. 🙂
This morning after breakfast I walked the maybe half mile down the road to La Gamba Rainforest Research Station sponsored mainly by the University of Vienna, Austria, hoping to see more butterflies! But only got one there plus one on the road near Esquinas Lodge which I will share later as part of Esquinas. 🙂
At the research station, I simply walked the garden trails, looking for nature to photograph and got quite a few photos in less than an hour. Here is a sampling of the photos in a gallery below the email photo with not everything identified yet. I have to go to the dining room for internet connection, but prepare these posts and the photos on my cabin porch during the afternoon rain, though it didn’t rain this afternoon, but will tonight! 🙂
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I’m getting my best help with identification through iNaturalist or through multiple channels with them. And I finally determined that this new Yellow for me is Westwood’s Yellow, Eurema westwoodii, linked to iNaturalist, but not much info there or anywhere else online about this species and it is not even included in BAMONA. I have a gallery for Westwood’s Yellow with just two observations, June 2 & 7 this year. The 2 photos here are from my June 7 observation.
