Category: Garden

Both my gardens and ones I visit

Posted on

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
Continue reading “Guava Skipper”
Posted on

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!

Posted on

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
Continue reading “Blurry-striped Longtail”
Posted on

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
Continue reading “Tropical Buckeye”
Posted on

New Species for me . . .

. . . the Straight-lined Sulphur, Phoebis trite (iNaturalist CR link with map of where seen here) or see three observations recorded on BAMONA. Not your every day butterfly! 🙂

Here’s my three shots . . .

Straight-lined Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Continue reading “New Species for me . . .”
Posted on

Genus Strymon

When iNaturalist “Identifiers” (participants with expertise in butterflies) can’t accurately identify a photo, they will often generalize and give it a subfamily or genus label to put it under, and thus I am doing that also, especially with photos that don’t have enough details to be sure of the identity. And I’ve already started adding galleries for genus and subfamily for cases like this.

Genus Strymon, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

This one is almost definitely in the Genus Strymon (Scrub-Hairstreaks), but I’m not able to tell which species. Maybe someone will be able to on iNaturalist after I post it there or on BAMONA where I have to just click “unable to identify.” And both sites have people who maybe will identify is as a species. If interested, I have identified 5 species in this genus in my galleries:

And yes, today’s photo may be one of these or another Strymon not shown above. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Cassius Blue

One of those tiny Hairstreak family of butterflies, the Cassius Blue, Leptotes cassius (my gallery link) may be a regular this year. I shared one in early April who was sitting on the wet black-topped driveway.

Cassius Blue, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

The “Flower Restaurant”

. . . for my resident Rufous-tailed Hummingbird. And of course this Torch Ginger is just one of the many “Flower Restaurants” where he eats as I purposefully do not have feeders filled every day. It is more natural and healthier for the birds to eat from flowers. Here’s three shots from the other day in my garden . . .

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird on a Torch Ginger, “Bastón del Emperador,” Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird on a Torch Ginger, “Bastón del Emperador,” Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “The “Flower Restaurant””
Posted on

Blue-gray Satyr

This Blue-gray Satyr, Magneuptychia libye (linked to iNaturalist Costa Rica where there are 307 observations of this species which is a new species for me!) and it makes my 22nd species of Satyrs! 🙂 My galleries for these are at the bottom of the Nymphalidae – BRUSHFOOTS Family Gallery, my largest family of butterflies, though just a little larger than the Skipper! 🙂

Blue-gray Satyr, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And more about those migrants that the U.S. dumped on Costa Rica . . .

Continue reading “Blue-gray Satyr”
Posted on

His Singing Did It!

This Clay-colored Thrush, Yigüirro (my gallery link) was still singing after the rains started in April but they are here for sure now, almost every afternoon or evening, and he no longer needs to sing in the rain! 🙂

Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush singing in Atenas, Costa Rica as the rains start!

¡Pura Vida!