Large Orange Sulphur

This species usually has lots of brown spots and lines on the folded wings much like the Apricot Sulphur, but these in my garden the other day were solid yellow, or to fit their name, a bright orange! 🙂 I am pretty sure of the identification, though never certain. Here’s 3 pix from that recent sighting and for more photos, see my Orange Sulphur Gallery.

Large Orange Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
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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
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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!

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
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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
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Turkey Vulture

Vultures are so common all over the world and so important to the health of the planet! And I just can’t resist trying to photograph one every once in a while! 🙂 This common one here is a Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura (my gallery link) is the same one you see in the United States. I think they are beautiful when flying, though their underside is always in the shadows! 🙂

Turkey Vulture, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Turkey Vulture, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

You might be interested in my other galleries on different vultures both here and other places I’ve lived/traveled . . .

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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.

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Other Nature, Calle Nueva . . .

For my last post on the Calle Nueva Walk, here’s 4 shots of other things I liked along this little dirt country road . . .

Common Basilisk, Basiliscus basiliscus, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

For more of him, see my Common Basilisk Gallery.

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Laverna Metalmark

I used the iNaturalist A-I to hep identify this which, if correct is a new species for me. Laverna Metalmark, Calephelis laverna (iNaturalist link) is similar to other Metalmarks in my Metalmarks Gallery. I haven’t submitted it to iNaturalist yet, to see if the identifiers there agree with this ID. Here’s two shots from Calle Nueva . . .

Laverna Metalmark, Calephelis laverna, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Laverna Metalmark, Calephelis laverna, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!