Category: Butterflies

Butterflies photographed in Costa Rica and nearby

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New Species! Dark Emesis

Costa Rica is so diverse in all its species that after 10+ years here, it is still not unusual to find a new species as I have with butterflies about 4 or 5 times this year. I was processing my several photos of the Falcate Skipper shared the other day (Oct 27) and in only one of those photos, I found this other butterfly partly hiding it. I slowly and painstakingly removed the Skipper from this photo in Photoshop so I could share and post on iNaturalist & BAMONA without the confusion of another butterfly on the same flower. 🙂 This Emesis ocypore (scientific name) is not very common, found from Southern Mexico to Columbia and also in parts of Africa! Yes! On two continents! In the Americas he is most common in Costa Rica, though on iNaturalist CR there are only 19 observations reported. Mine will make #20 when I get to it! And on BAMONA only 3 now, mine will make 4! 🙂 Here is my one and only photo of this rarity from my own garden on October 17, 2025 . . .

Dark Emesis, Emesis ocypore, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

I did start a gallery for this species, but with only this one photo! It is at this link: Dark Emesis, Emesis ocypore. Note that it is in the Metalmark Family, Riodinidae.

¡Pura Vida!

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Two Looks of the Fiery Skipper

As I’ve said before in this blog, I really try to get both a top view and a side view(or bottom view) of every butterfly because of the sometimes big differences and the clues for good identification. Though not as radically different as some butterflies, there is a difference in the Fiery Skipper – Hylephila phyleus (my gallery link), as you can see in these two photos . . .

Fiery Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Falcate Skipper

Not gorgeous, but another good pollinator! 🙂 This is my second time to see and photograph the Falcate Skipper, Spathilepia colonius (my gallery link), one of the many Skippers here, found from Argentina to Mexico. Here’s 2 shots, a top view and a side view, which is what I want of all butterflies! (You need both views for easy identification.) 🙂

Falcate Skipper, my garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Julia Heliconian

The Julia is turning out to be one of the most colorful butterflies in my garden this year with some other past butterflies not back. Here’s just two shots from my garden the other day and you can see more in my gallery: Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia with shots from literally every area of Costa Rica on both slopes, though, because I’m home more than anywhere, the most shots are from here in Atenas. 🙂 And the featured photo was chosen because it is an unusual view of one flying toward me and not because of the quality of the photo. Below is the most common view of this very orange butterfly . . .

Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Eurema Genus

My first inclination is Eurema westwoodii (my gallery link), but this one is almost as close to Eurema dina (my gallery link) and Eurema leuce (my gallery link), so my plan at this time when I make my submissions to iNaturalist (at the end of each month for that month’s observations), I will simply use the genus and hope one of the gung-ho butterfly specialists there will identify and give a reason. While with BAMONA I may just submit as “cannot identify” and see what one of the coordinators there says, since they don’t have genus buckets to submit to. And hopefully both sites will have someone to give me a reason for the correct identification. 🙂 Here’s just two shots, a side view and a top view.

Eurema Genus butterfly, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Mimosa Skipper

This “one more brown Skipper” is not very exciting and thus not as many “observations” posted on iNaturalist, where I am the lead observer. 🙂 But like every human being, every butterfly is important to ecology and he/she has it’s own beauty and purpose. There seem to be a lot in my neighborhood as you can see in my Gallery: Mimosa Skipper, Cogia calchas.

Mimosa Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

To see how many other “brown skippers” there are here, check out the gallery level above this one, Hesperiidae – SKIPPERS (106+ species) where the majority are brown or mostly brown. The unloved family of butterflies. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

Continue reading “Mimosa Skipper”
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Laverna Metalmark or Laverna Calephelis

This species, Calephelis laverna (my gallery link) was seen almost daily last year but only a few times this year and it is one I have had trouble identifying with none of the expert identifiers responding to my submissions on iNaturalist or BAMONA. With the Glassberg book I gave it the Rounded Metalmark, Calephelis perditalis, identification. Later with more photos to compare with on iNaturalist, I changed to Calephelis laverna (mainly because of the bits of white on the border). iNaturalist doesn’t use a “common name” while Butterflies of America calls it Laverna Calephelis (reversing the scientific name word order which they generally do when there is not a known “common name” and BAMONA always follows Butterflies of America.

But I am still hoping for an “expert” to confirm or change this identification. Until then, this is my best effort at identification. It is found from Mexico to Brazil, so the location fits. Just one photo from my garden on October 1 and thus the beginning of October nature photos . . .

Calephelis laverna, a tiny Metalmark butterfly, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And Me Photographing in my Garden . . .

One of my gardeners snapped this shot of me trying to photograph another butterfly! 🙂

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Broken Silverdrop – New View

Most of my photos of this species and most in online systems show side views of the Broken Silverdrop, Epargyreus exadeus cruza (my gallery link) with this top view being the second top view on both iNaturalist & BAMONA, so a unique photo! And I have 2 top views in my gallery! 🙂 The feature and two other photos here . . .

Broken Silverdrop, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica (unusual top view)
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Marcellina Sulphur

This is a new yellow butterfly for me this year with sightings in my garden in July, August & September as shown in the gallery Marcellina Sulphur, Phoebis marcellina. There are many different yellows as you can see in their “Family Gallery” of my photos: Pieridae – WHITES, YELLOWS & SULPHURS (40 species). I will never tire of all the unique species of butterflies found here in Costa Rica and the almost continuous finding of new species like this one. Tomorrow I will share a photo of a more common Yellow seen here, the Dina Yellow. But here is just one photo of the Marcellina Sulphur . . .

Marcellina Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!