Category: Butterflies

Butterflies photographed in Costa Rica and nearby

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La Gamba Tropenstation

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! 🙂

Brown Basilisk, La Gamba Rainforest Research Station
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A New YELLOW for me

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.

Westwood’s Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Giant Butterfly Moth

is usually trying to hide behind leaves in the garden, but if I keep trying I usually get a shot, though there are much better ones in my GALLERY: Giant Butterfly Moth, Castniomera atymnius. All photos are either from my garden or the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge where I will be next week. Just one shot here . . .

Giant Butterfly Moth, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Conservation brings life!

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Apricot Sulphur

is one of my “regulars” this year and varies in color from an Apricot orange color to the common yellow of all the other yellows! But, he/she always has lots of brown spots and usually the distinctive double white spots on folded wings (solid yellow on top). Here’s just two shots from this month, one yellow and one orangey. See more in my GALLERY: Apricot Sulphur, Phoebis argante.

Apricot Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Apricot Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

We are all responsible for the future of earth.

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Pink-spotted Cattleheart

This butterfly in the Swallowtail Family is one of the more brilliant and the only Cattleheart with two rows of pink (red) spots on the bottom of his hind wings. And note that this particular individual is damaged and has only one hind wing. You will find much better shots in my gallery: Pink-spotted Cattleheart, Parides photinus, and all but one photo are from my garden. 🙂 Found only from Costa Rica to Mexico.

Pink-spotted Cattleheart, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Juno Silverspot

A few days ago I shared a Mexican Silverspot and this one is different but similar, with the side view spots differently arranged and the top view totally different. Some more of the flying color found in Central America! See my GALLERY: Juno Longwing or Silverspot, Dione juno for more and better photos from Costa Rica.

Juno Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Juno Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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New Butterfly Species . . .

. . . for me at least, and for BAMONA, as I had to ask for the additional species, though there are lots (160) of observations on iNaturalist CR. This was of course in my garden, on the “Once de abril” or Golden Dewdrop flowering shrub (Duranta erecta). The butterfly is the Anius Metalmark (Charis anius), one of the tiny (thumbnail sized) Metalmarks. In addition to the iNat observations above you can find a little bit of info on iNaturalista Costa Rica. It is found from Honduras south to Brazil. No other information seems to be online nor in my books. I got only two shots before he disappeared.

Anius Metalmark, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Anius Metalmark, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

It’s our choice!

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Red Cracker is Blue on Top!

The Red Cracker, Hamadryas amphinome (my gallery link) has an almost solid red underside of his lower wing, which I am yet to get a photo of. The only other place that I’ve seen this butterfly was on two different occasions at Xandari Resort, on a hill overlooking Alajuela (city) and the San Jose Airport. This shot was made in my garden on the trunk of the Cecropia Tree. I’ve only seen Crackers (all species) on trunks of trees, so maybe there is something in bark they eat? 🙂 And I’ve also only seen the topside of most.

Red Cracker, Hamadryas amphinome, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And if Cracker butterflies interest you, check out my galleries on these 6 different species . . .

¡Pura Vida!

It’s the choice of humans to save the earth or let it die. It is now headed for death!

¡Pura Vida!

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Mexican Silverspot

A nice colorful heliconian that I was glad to see in my garden the other day, Mexican Silverspot, Dione moneta (my gallery link). It’s the colorful ones that are called “flying flowers.” 🙂

Mexican Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Mexican Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

sustainable development ecology

“The time to protect a species is while it is still common.”

― Rosalie Edge