Category: Butterflies

Butterflies photographed in Costa Rica and nearby

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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

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Ruddy Daggerwing

This is only my second time to see one of these interesting butterflies, and the whole time he was in my garden, he stayed partially hidden behind leaves. The other time was just a half block outside the Roca Verde gate in Boquerón Barrio on 8th Avenue. You can see both sightings in my Ruddy Daggerwing Gallery. This one of several daggerwings is unique because he is orange on top like many other daggerwings, but his underside is “ruddy” (see my feature photo) or sometimes much like a dead leaf and the point of the upper wing is very falcate (hooked) like no other daggerwing. He is found from Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida. Here’s 3 of my several photos . . .

Ruddy Daggerwing, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Hummingbird Shadow

When trying to photograph that tiny little butterfly on the left of that rock in my garden I discovered later that I instead got a silhoutte shadow of a hummingbird flying above the butterfly. 🙂 Not great, but an interesting surprise when going through the photos. 🙂

Hummingbird Shadow on rock near a tiny butterfly in my garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Just a little serendipity! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” – Mahatma Gandhi 

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Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak

If nothing else, it has a cool name! 🙂 The Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak – Strymon yojoa (my gallery link) is another of those many Central American butterflies. Here’s a couple of shots and go to the gallery for more.

Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Large Orange Sulphur

This species usually has lots of brown spots and lines on the folded wings much like the Apricot Sulphur, but these in my garden the other day were solid yellow, or to fit their name, a bright orange! 🙂 I am pretty sure of the identification, though never certain. Here’s 3 pix from that recent sighting and for more photos, see my Orange Sulphur Gallery.

Large Orange Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
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Guava Skipper

This was one of my first “exotic” butterflies on my birthday trip to Xandari in 2019 and since I’ve seen it one other time in my garden in June of 2022 and now here in 2025. See some much better photos in my gallery: Guava Skipper.

Note that different sources have different scientific names: Phocides lilea, Phocides polybus and Phocides palemon. I still don’t know who is in charge of butterfly names, but I’m beginning to lean toward iNaturalist and put their scientific name first in my lists when more than one is used. It is not like with birds where eBird is sort of everyone’s source with confidence that it is always correct. (A least we think that!) 🙂

Guava Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Orange-barred Sulphur

This Orange-barred Sulphur, Phoebis philea (my gallery link) does not have the strong “barring” that some of this species have, but the stronger yellow color to me eliminates the possibility of a a similar-spotted butterfly, the Cloudless Sulphur, which is usually white or a light yellow. But I could be wrong! 🙂 And if someone changes it on iNaturalist, I will come back and change it here! 🙂

Orange-barred Sulphur, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Blurry-striped Longtail

This Blurry-striped Longtail, Chiodes catillus (my gallery link) is also sometimes called White-striped Longtail by some sources. It is a less seen longtail skipper, but one of the many species that make up the huge biodiversity of Costa Rica! Here’s two shots of the same individual showing the difference in color that bright sunlight or shadows can make on these butterflies. 🙂

Blurry-striped Longtail, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Tropical Buckeye

One of my many “favorites” is the Tropical Buckeye, Junonia evarete or Junonia zonalis (linked to my gallery) is found throughout Central America, West Indies, Florida and the Southwestern U.S.

Tropical Buckeye, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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