This is another new species for me, assuming I have identified correctly. Mine has more tail than those photos in the books and online, but the folded wing pattern is identical and my basis for this identification. Hammock Skipper, Polygonus leo. In my garden in Atenas.
Here’s what I see when I walk out my gate walking to town in the first shot, looking NNW, and the second shot is looking NNE from the driveway behind my house just before the rain started. 🙂
I haven’t seen this bird in quite a while, but he was one of about 4 species in my Cecropia Tree the other morning, feeding on the flowers like the toucans sometimes do. And as usual, he was partially hidden by leaves the entire time here! You can see other shots in my Black-cowled Oriole GALLERY showing the same hiding problem always! Except my very first shot here in Costa Rica of one on my window screen inside my house! 🙂 Here’s just two shots . . .
All the Longtail Skippers are brown, but this one has slightly different markings to give him the color name. 🙂 And you may have noticed that I’m much heavier on Skippers in general this year which may mean that they can handle the different weather better or some other reason I don’t know. And I continue to have fewer birds and fewer of the brighter colored butterflies, whatever the reason may be.
These range from a lighter brown than this to a dark brown as seen in my Brown Longtail GALLERY.
The Butterflies and Moths dot com doesn’t even have this species included on their website yet (I’ve requested it!) and otherwise online I find it reported from Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua, so my photo may be the first reported of this species from Costa Rica (IF my identity is correct) 🙂 and this is not the first time for me to add a new species on that website! 🙂 I’ve found online two common names and two scientific names for what seems to be the same species of butterfly . . .
COMMON NAMES: Yellow-haired Skipper and Yellow-haired Pyramid-Skipper
SCIENTIFIC NAMES: Typhedanus cajeta cajeta and Cogia cajeta cajeta
This is not terribly unusual with so many species of butterflies and new ones being discovered or named every year. And I just wait to see what my supervisor at Butterflies and Moths dot com decides to do with it. 🙂
I finally got through all my butterfly photos made on the property at Hotel Banana Azul in Costa Rica’s Caribe South and they total 34 species! Unfortunately I have 11 different Skippers labeled “Unidentified” and I really need some better sources to help with identification. I am including two photos here and one is an unidentified Yellow or Sulphur. You can see all of the 34 species in my Banana Azul 2023 Butterfly GALLERY. And this is in addition to all those already reported on from Gandoca-Manzanilloand Cahuita reserves making a total of 54 species! 🙂
And oh yeah, the feature photo at the top of post has been identified as a Pompeius Skipper, Pompeius pompeius.
¡Pura Vida!
¡Muy ocupado! — Very Busy!
Read on for why I am behind on my blog posts now and what is happening in my personal life, from my new “free” doctors to helping open a new art gallery in Atenas . . .
At the Grand Opening of Galería ARTenas this Sunday, 15 October, 10am to 7pm, there will be a drawing for free art items from the gallery participants. And from me you can win this beautiful Flora Accent Pillow with one of my photos of a Bird of Paradise Flower printed on both sides! 🙂
If you are anywhere near Atenas, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica, I hope to see you at the grand opening this Sunday of our new art gallery in Atenas, in Calle 2 Plaza adjacent Linea Vital & Pizzeria La Finca.
As I am aging I seem to love and appreciate the beauty of flower even more than in the past. Here’s just two flower photos, the feature photo at the top of the blog post and this one for the email version, then you can see more in the Flowers Sub-Gallery of this Trip Gallery. Enjoy the beauty of nature!
I did a post on “Other Insects” at Banana Azul earlier but did not include these 6 bugs that are all unidentified for now (and maybe for a long time). 🙂 I never cease to be amazed at the variety, colors, patterns and just the appearance of so many different insects here in Costa Rica. I will not label or comment on these 6 but just share the photos below . . .