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Butterflies photographed in Costa Rica and nearby
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| Heliconius Hecale Zuleika My home garden in Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| ¡Pura Vida! Costa Rica Flag Butterfly Art Not a real butterfly! |
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| Pale Spotted Swallowtail Maybe Or could be Red Spotted Purple Or Female Tiger Swallowtail Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Banded Peacock Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Chisos Banded Skipper Atenas, Costa Rica |
AND a great big yellow one (maybe a Sulphur) who would never land for a photo! 🙂
See my photo gallery of Costa Rica Butterflies & Moths
And see my photo book: My First 50 Butterflies in Costa Rica Review for free.
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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
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| Mexican Silverspot Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica |
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| Common Ur-Satyr Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica |
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| Black-bordered Tegosa La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista,Turrialba Costa Rica |
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| Variable Cattleheart Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica |
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| Checkered White Butterfly OR Cabbage Moth Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica |
See my Costa Rica Butterflies & Moths Photo Gallery.
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This is a first sighting of this butterfly for me. He was on the screen in my kitchen, obviously near the end of his short life. I went for my camera and when I returned he had fallen onto the kitchen counter next to the sink. Not great shots! I prefer to find them on flowers! 🙂 This is usually the best time of year for butterflies (May-June) but not as many this year. Is it because of more rain?
It is my second clearwing or glasswing butterfly to see or photograph. The other was near Chirripo, Costa Rica in Cloudbridge Nature Reserve and called a Greta Oto or by the guide, just “Glasswing Butterfly.” It was in a tree which is a little better background than a kitchen counter. 🙂 But with my doors wide open during the day, I sorta live outdoors! And I like having nature come to me!
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| Greta Morgane or Thick-tipped Greta Atenas, Costa Rica |
I hope you realize that it is common to find dead or dying butterflies here, since most have very short lives, sometimes only hours! (Yes! Less than one day!) The Monarch is a big exception who migrates to Mexico from as far away as Canada but then dies after giving birth! And we do have some Monarchs here and our famous Blue Morpho Butterfly lives 115 days or about 4 months. So all are different! And you are worried about how long you will live?
See DESCRIPTION of Greta Morgane on Wikipedia – It is one of several sometimes called “Glasswings” or “Clearwings” and in the smaller category of “Greta” butterflies. Note the link in my opening paragraph to the other Greta I have photographed.
And of course my Butterflies & Moths Photo Gallery has many other interesting creatures! Enjoy!
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| Malachite Butterfly Drake Bay, Costa rica |
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| White-faced Capuchin Monkey Drake Bay, Costa rica |
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| Red-tailed Squirrel Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| White-nosed Coati Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Agouti Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| White-lined Bat Mangrove Forest, Drake Bay, Costa rica |
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| Proboscis Bat (said guide) or Gray Sac-winged Bat Mangrove Forest, Drake Bay, Costa rica |
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| Land Crab Mangrove Forest, Drake Bay, Costa rica |
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| Spotted Dolphin Near Cañon Island, Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
My TRIPS Photo Gallery on this Drake Bay Trip
About Corcovado National Park (Wikipedia) and About Drake Bay (Wikipedia)
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| Banded Skipper My Home Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica The gardener found it and came got me for the photo. I have other shots of one inside my house. |
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| Banded Skipper Butterfly On the outside of my neighbor’s window screen. A better specimen and view than one I showed earlier inside my house. |
See also my BUTTERFLY & MOTH PHOTO GALLERY
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| Banded Skipper (Same one as two days ago) Inside my house, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
The one I posted two days ago (repeated below) that was on my living room screen is this same one above I believe. I found this one on the floor below the screen today. Many butterflies have short lives like that. But this view makes him look a lot different with the orange and white back wings showing. The white bars across the upper wings still make him like a banded skipper, but none in the books match nor any online. It is frustrating to not be able to label him! So maybe a new species?
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| Banded Skipper (I think) Inside my house, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I lightened or brightened this second photo which was a dark as the first right out of camera. But you can see the markings are the same on his upper wings.
See my photo gallery of Costa Rica BUTTERFLIES
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| Banded Skipper Butterfly (Possibly Chisos or Spiked) Inside my house, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica What is throwing me on ID is the 6 spots on each side – None in book with 6! They all have 0-3. And none indicate orange bulb on antennae. |
And see my Photo Gallery for BUTTERFLIES in Costa Rica with 54 species!
Or my newest photo book My First 50 Butterflies in Costa Rica you can preview online free!
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| Split-banded or Heliconia/Linnean Owlet Butterfly In My House, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Split-banded or Heliconia/Linnean Owlet Butterfly In My House, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica Sorry for out-of-focus image, but needed for identification, top side |
Yes, the bottom side (wings folded) is similar to Owl Butterfly but the top side is different! The bottom is a fair match for “Split-banded Owlet” but the top seems to be closer to the “Heliconian or Linnean Owlet” meaning that I am not sure! Sorry top is not in focus but seldom opened and only for brief second rapidly. In both shots he is on my kitchen window screen.
See also MY BUTTERFLY PHOTO GALLERY for many more species of butterflies, 54 now!
For identification I am now primarily using the book A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America. It has more photos and species included than any book I have found yet for this region and I double check on the internet. The National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to Butterflies is the best for North American butterflies but does not always include all in Central America such as this one which is close on the bottom side to one of the “Pearly Eyes” but not a match. The only Costa Rica book on butterflies is woefully lacking in species.