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Butterflies photographed in Costa Rica and nearby
Though butterfly season is past its prime, there were quite a few at the Cristal Ballena Hotel in Uvita last week. Here’s some I was able to capture photos of (many I couldn’t).
“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
~Nathaniel Hawthorne
¡Pura Vida!
See my Butterflies Gallery and
This trip gallery: 2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita
There are hundreds of species of Skippers and many are similar, but I thought I had narrowed this one down to two in the book and favored as first choice the Gold-costa Skipper but none of online maps nor the book show it as far south as Costa Rica. My second choice from book was Chiapas Groundskipper, but the book shows it only in Mexico and it is not even online. So, I guess this is another of my many “Unidentified” butterflies.” And I want so much to identify all my nature photos! Oh well . . . ¡Es la vida! — It’s life! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
See also my Gallery: Butterflies & Moths of Costa Rica (80+ species)
The latest trip book is completed, a short & simple photo book of 36 pages for only $19 which is low price for a photo book + order by 10 September and get 40% off with discount code: SEPTEMBER4T
Banana Azul is maybe my most relaxing hotel in Costa Rica or certainly the Caribbean, thus I focused on the tranquility of nature there with several sunrise photos along with birds and other nature! 🙂 Click this link or the cover image below to see a FREE PREVIEW electronically of all pages of the book. As always, full screen mode is better for photos! 🙂
https://www.blurb.com/b/9637630-tranquilo-banana-azul
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
¡Pura Vida!
This morning before going to the organic botanical gardens in Puerto Viejo, I walked a ways down the beach road behind Banana Azul along Playa Negra or Black Beach because of some black volcanic sand in places. Its a forest walk or drive and the trees are as impressive as the beach. Here’s a few shots.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
¡Pura Vida!
The Rusty-tipped Page (Siproeta epaphus) was a new butterfly for me last Christmas in Manuel Antonio and today was my second time to see one, right here in my own garden! (These photos made after breakfast on my terrace this morning.)
See my other photos of him in my gallery or if you want more information about this species, see the excellent Wikipedia article or an article on Butterflies and Moths of North America, though rarely seen even in the southern portions of North America above Mexico.
It is basically a year-around Central American butterfly with a few getting into northern South America and southern North America, though they are readily in Mexico which I think is technically North America. 🙂 A very beautiful and interesting butterfly that the websites say is common here, though I’ve seen it only twice now.
Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.
See also my photo gallery Butterflies & Moths of Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
This morning after breakfast on the terrace I walked through my garden searching for butterflies (got only one) and instead was attracted to the many shapes, colors and textures in my garden (as I often am) – a gallery of modern art! Of Nature as Art! Enjoy what I saw through the slide show this morning:
Nature is the art of God.
~Dante Alighieri
For More “Nature as Art” see my gallery: Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA or to specifically find more like these, check out the sub gallery of the above main gallery called: Flora & Forest Costa Rica.
And from my galleries you can download the digital files for free (down pointing arrow at bottom of enlarged image) or buy prints or wall art of the images (Click “Buy” button).
¡Pura Vida!
From expansive beaches to overpowering vistas and sunsets dotted with colorful tropical birds – my newest photo book captures the magic of where I live as well as any! With it my photos show the adventure of birding in three hotels just an hour from Atenas — Punta Leona Resort, the Macaw Lodge and my recent visit to Villa Caletas, all with easy access to beaches, Carara National Park and Tarcoles River plus each having their own private forest reserve and trails. Nature at its best! All in one beautiful photo book!
You can preview the entire book electronically online at:
https://www.blurb.com/b/9601292-jaco-carara-birding-hotels
Or click the image of the book cover below:
And if interested is purchasing a copy, Get 40% OFF through Monday 12 August by using the Discount Code LAZYDAYS4T at checkout.
Retired in Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
These three butterflies are all frequent visitors to my garden and even inside my house, but when I photograph one I often try to double check the identity which is so difficult on butterflies, even with two books and a third one on order, plus some internet help.
Well, the featured photo today is one I have been calling a “White-striped Longtail” and after more research, I have determined that he and the others like him I’ve photographed here are actually “Brown Longtail” (link to their gallery).
Sorry for the incorrect identification earlier! The other two here today are still labeled the same and I’m confident correctly! 🙂 But you will see two shots here of the Polydamas Swallowtail because the top and bottom are so different. The same is true for Blomfild’s but I was unable to get a good top view today (wings closed most of time) – there are several top shots of him in my gallery
All of these were shot in my garden except the Blomfild’s Beauty on my kitchen window before I opened it to let him out. 🙂
Relatives of this Brown Longtail are also in my gallery as Plain Longtail and the Teleus Longtail.
Butterflies are fun to study and observe (photograph) and are one of the most colorful creatures of Costa Rica. With 1500 different species of Butterfly and 12 000 different species of moths, the numbers are staggering! I will never finish photographing them! 🙂 Possibly the best “butterfly garden” to visit in Costa Rica is Butterfly Conservatory near Arenal which I hope to see when I’m at Arenal Observatory Lodge in November, though not the high month for butterflies! 🙂 In Atenas we have more butterflies in June-July-August.
See my newly revised Butterflies of Costa Rica PHOTO GALLERY that is better organized for your viewing pleasure! 🙂 Easier to find a specific butterfly but if using it to identify your Costa Rica butterfly photos, the sub gallery for each species usually gives you multiple images to compare! Though prejudiced, I think I have the best Costa Rica butterfly photo gallery online now! 🙂 80+ species! Check it out!
I also have a little 7X7 inch photo book titled My First 50 Butterflies in Costa Rica. You can preview all pages electronically for free at this link. Best viewed full screen for bigger photos.
Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine.
¡Pura Vida!
I’ve been back from Villa Caletas for a couple of days and my most obvious wildlife observation has been the butterflies, some repeats here from earlier posts but the Yellow-rimmed Skipper is a new one for my gallery and blog. There are soooo many different skippers! 🙂
Remember to CLICK an image to see it enlarged plus see the link to my butterfly gallery below the images.
See my growing Butterfly Gallery! Bueno! 🙂
For friends in Costa Rica, I have found that the best book for identifying butterflies (though still not 100%) is A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America by Jeffrey Glassberg. I’ve been using the first edition but just ordered the Second Edition which is improved and for those who prefer electronics, it is available in a Kindle Edition. I’m still a little partial to paper wildlife guides, though I do use Merlin on my phone for birds!
For just Costa Rica Butterflies there is a little less extensive book by Carrol Henderson titled Butterflies, Moths, and Other Invertebrates of Costa Rica which is also available in an electronic Kindle Edition. It is good for the most common butterflies & moths here and okay for maybe most people, but I like having many more butterflies to choose from in the Swift Guide, though I actually use both books. Because it is also more work digging through more choices! 🙂
See all my photos from this trip at 2019 Villa Caletas, Jaco Photo Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
I just uploaded the last photo I’ve chosen to share from a very photogenic resort! I’m pleased with a lot of the photos and you can see them in the gallery at:
https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2019-July-28-31-Villa-Caletas-Jaco
Or it may be more fun 🙂 to click the image of the first page:
¡Pura Vida!