Category: Insects

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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!

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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”
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Frustratingly Unidentified

It still happens quite a bit for me to not be able to identify a butterfly. This one I first thought was one of the tiny Metalmarks, but all the A-I identifiers puts in in the bigger Skipper family with the leading genuses being Staphylus, Quadrus, or Ouleus, but I still can’t find a match with all my butterfly books and online help. I will eventually post it and hope someone will identify it. Very small, less than an inch wingspan. Here’s three photos . . .

Unidentified Skipper or Metalmark, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Frustratingly Unidentified”
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Red-spotted Scrub-Hairstreak

The little thumbnail-sized Hairstreaks are beginning to show up as the busier butterfly time starts in my garden. Just be aware that butterflies can be found all year long all over Costa Rica. iNaturalist has a chart for each species showing when the observations were found and every month has some highs, regardless of the winds and other factors including my garden’s May-October high season, which may be because I have more flowers then. 🙂

Red-spotted Scrub-Hairstreak, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica, on a Crab’s Claw Heliconia flower.

I’ve seen this little one several times as shown in my GALLERY: Red-spotted Scrub-Hairstreak, Strymon ziba. And if you are a serious butterfly watcher here in Costa Rica, note that this species is very much like another, Strymon megarus (my gallery link), and the two are easily confused! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

One of my projects over the last few weeks has been to get all of my butterfly observation photos (11 years worth) in iNaturalist and I have nearly completed that tedious posting job with now over 1,500 observation posted on iNaturalist total, which beyond all my butterflies, I have also posted all of my dragonflies and I am in real time now posting other nature photos from day to day but not going back with my 11 year collections, like I just did with butterflies. 🙂

Now all of my Costa Rica butterfly photos will be on both iNaturalist and on butterfliesandmoths.org. Plus all bird photos on eBird and future birds on both. Contributing your image to these volunteer scientific sites will contribute to future research and hopefully the future preservation of many species. I recommend everyone to participate as they can. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Dina Yellow

This, like many yellows, is easily confused with other similar yellows, but what I’m labeling Dina Yellow, Pyrisita dina (my gallery link) is one I’ve seen a lot, especially in my garden.

Dina Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Hecale Longwing

Another Central-America-only butterfly, the Hecale Longwing, Heliconius hecale (zuleika) (my gallery link) which I’ve seen all over Costa Rica, but like with most, there are more photos from my garden because I spend more time here! 🙂

Hecale Longwing, Heliconius hecale, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Leuce Yellow

This Leuce Yellow, Mariposa Amarilla Brasileña, Pyrisitia leuce (my gallery link) was a new species for me last year (2024) and now I am starting the 2025 butterfly season with that species! 🙂

Leuce Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica (on a Lantana flower)
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White-striped Longtail

One website calls this “Blurry-Striped Longtail,” but I think I prefer White-striped Longtail, Chioides catillus (my gallery link). Just this one shot here plus the feature photo at top. Go to that gallery for more shots in my garden the other day while still windy + more from last year.

White-striped Longtail, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And for you butterfly aficionados, yes, he is a lot like the Durantes Longtail, but without that white stripe! Plus he has a longer tail than any of the other Longtails, I think.

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Florida White

The Florida (Giant) White, Glutophrissa drusilla (my gallery link) (formerly Appias drusilla and without the “Giant” in common name) can be found all over Costa Rica even though it’s name implies that it is a butterfly for the state of Florida. 🙂

Florida Giant White, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See more butterfly photos + an update on migrants being sent to Costa Rica by Dictator Trump . . .

Continue reading “Florida White”
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Cassius Blue

More different butterflies are beginning to show up like this Cassius Blue, Leptotes cassius (my gallery link) on my driveway the other day while watering the garden (why blacktop is wet). And it was still windy then, but I guess if the caterpillar turns to a butterfly, he has to eat! Windy or not! 🙂

Cassius Blue, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

And oh yeah, he is called a “Blue” because the top of his wings are solid blue, but you only see that when he is flying. He seems to never land with his wings open. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!