Category: Insects

Posted on

Pompeius Skipper

This Pompeius Skipper or Pompeius pompeius scientific name is a new butterfly sighting for me! I continue to be amazed that during this El Niño Year of radical climate change when I’ve been seeing fewer birds and butterflies that I am still seeing new species for me! It is fun! 🙂 And it demonstrates the huge number of species here in Costa Rica! 🙂

My two photos below show one to be lighter in color than the other but both the books and the websites indicate such variations plus different light does that in photos of anything. Plus these are different individuals at different times on different flowers! 🙂

Pompeius Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Pompeius Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Banded Peacock’s Back!

At one time in the past this was my most numerous butterfly, but not this year! So I was glad to see one in my garden the other day! Here’s three photos I made . . .

Banded Peacock Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Banded Peacock’s Back!”
Posted on

Fine-spotted Roadside Skipper

Not a jaw-dropping beauty, but another important part of ecology! The Fine-spotted Roadside Skipper, Amblyscirtes folia (link to my gallery) is one I’ve seen twice before, once in my garden and once at Xandari Resort, Alajuela.

Fine-spotted Road-Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica
Fine-spotted Road-Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Little Yellow

This is my second time to see a Little Yellow, Eurema lisa, with the other being in the Butterfly Conservatory in El Castillo and this time in my Garden in Atenas.

Little Yellow, Atenas, Costa Rica.

My Little Yellow Gallery.

¡Pura vida!

POSTSCRIPT: Today I am at El Silencio Lodge in Bajos del Toro and will return home tomorrow. Reports from this short two-night trip will be coming later. I’m staying about 2 weeks ahead on my blog posts, but if something spectacular happens here, I’ll double up and report it immediately! 🙂

Posted on

Great Southern White

You can see my photos of the two other times I saw this butterfly by going to my Great Southern White GALLERY. They were at such different locales as Tambor Bay and Rancho Naturalista near Turrialba. The scientific name is Ascia monuste. This is a first for my garden.

Great Southern White, Atenas, Costa Rica
Great Southern White, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

A Call from My Friends at Maquenque

Today I received a phone call from the wonderful family that runs Maquenque Eco Lodge just checking on me and how my health is doing. They are so nice to me in every way and I count them among my best friends in Costa Rica. Then they sent me this photo of the table in their lodge lobby covered with my photo books that they continually thank me for and tell me how much their other guests enjoy them! 🙂 Just one more reason that I enjoy my retirement life photographing nature! 🙂

Charlie Doggett Nature Photo Books in lobby of Maquenque Eco Lodge, Boca Tapada, San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Wind’s Skipper

Another new species for me! Wind’s Skipper or Windia windi (scientific name). To be a year with much fewer butterflies in my garden, I continue to find new species which is kind of amazing to me! And this one has a kind of interesting pattern for a Skipper with pleasing blends of oranges, browns and whites. It is kind of small but bigger than those fingernail sized guys! 🙂 Here’s four shots from different angles. You will find more shots in my Wind’s Skipper gallery in the bigger family gallery of Skippers.

Wind’s Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Wind’s Skipper”
Posted on

Matthew’s Groundstreak

Another new species of butterfly! And that is pretty good with this being a year of overall fewer butterflies seen! 🙂 This one is in the Gossamer Wings Family and sub-family of Hairstreaks, scientific name Rubroserrata mathewi and common name of Matthew’s Groundstreak. And this is another one of those tiny, fingernail sized butterflies which seem to be handling the wind and lack of rain better this year. Here’s four photos of this new species, all shot in my garden:

Matthew’s Groundstreak, Atenas, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Matthew’s Groundstreak”
Posted on

Chocolate Butterfly?

Well, not many butterflies have such creative names! And that is not the name of this very brown (chocolate-looking) butterfly with the scientific name of Vacerra litana and the major butterfly websites using the common name of Litana Skipper while my best butterfly book calls it the Common Therra. It is found throughout Central America into the northern edges of South America as far a Guyana. There are so many brown and brownish Skippers! But this one that I photographed in my garden looks the most like chocolate to me, AND it is another NEW SPECIES FOR ME! Here’s 4 photos of the one in my garden:

Litana Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Chocolate Butterfly?”
Posted on

Red-studded Skipper

This only my second time to see this species of butterfly, Red-studded Skipper, Noctuana stator (linked to my Gallery) with the other sighting being at Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica – that’s on the Caribbean side where I will be in September. 🙂 This time I saw it here in Atenas on one of my walks to town in that Zinnia Garden at 8th & 3rd where I’ve seen a lot of butterflies.

Red-studded Skipper, Noctuana stator, Atenas, Costa Rica.
Continue reading “Red-studded Skipper”