Bright Scintillant or Rounded Metalmark?

In the Glassberg book, this matches what Jeffrey Glassberg calls the Bright Scintillant, a Calephelis Species, but my butterfly websites don’t list it as an official species, so I continue to list it in the next closest match, Rounded Metalmark, Calephelis perditalis, though I think it should be listed as a separate subspecies. Most of the characteristics of these two are the same with the Bright Scintillant obviously being brighter and also the border fringe is brown and white checkered, while the Rounded is one solid color. But I’m not in charge of naming butterflies, so I label them the best I can with what information I do have. 🙂 Here’s four shots of one recently in my garden and be aware that he is tiny, only a little larger than my thumbnail . . .

Rounded Metalmark, Atenas, Costa Rica
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Whirlabout!

That’s not a carnival ride or some crazy new dance, but the common name for a Skipper Butterfly with the scientific name of Polites vibex, Whirlabout. And I know you probably think these two photos are of different butterflies, and though they are of different individuals of different sizes, they are the same species, with the folded wings the lighter color and the open wings orange and dark brown for males and all-brown for females. The other times I have photographed one in my garden, he looks a little darker or brighter orange than these, as you can see in my Whirlabout Gallery, but I’m fairly confident of my ID each time. There is no end to new discoveries with butterflies! 🙂

Whirlabout Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica
Whirlabout Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Mystery Insect

Yes, I too think it is probably one of the thousands of brown Skippers, but all the books and websites making ID dependent on the wing patterns with top and side views, this “in your face” photo does not help me to identify him! But I still thought it an interesting photo worth sharing! 🙂

Unidentified Insect, possibly a Skipper Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica

Depending on what you think it is, check out what else is in my Costa Rica Galleries on:

  • Butterflies & Moths, 216+ species
  • Other Insects, 82+ species
  • In both groups you will find lots more “Mystery Insects” or unidentified species. And anytime you think you know the identification of one of these unidentified photos, please CONTACT me!

¡Pura Vida!

Flying Insects – Bees?

These two different insects I managed to photograph in flight the other morning are probably two of the approximately 700 species of bees found here in Costa Rica, but I cannot specifically identify them. One has a black body and one a orange body. 🙂

Unidentified Bee, Atenas, Costa Rica
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7 Butterflies on Busy Morning!

I decided to just go ahead and show all 7 of these from one morning’s brief garden walk, since I’m still staying 2 weeks or more ahead on my blog posts! 🙂 And I may eventually get those last 3 identified, but for now I’ll safely say they are Skippers! 🙂

Fiery Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica
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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!

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
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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!

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! 🙂

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!