This Julia reminds me of Juli

This brilliant orange butterfly, Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia (my gallery link) sometimes reminds me of my beaming special needs daughter, Juli, who died of kidney failure in 1997. She too was brilliant, hyper-active and unpredictable! 🙂 And only parents of other special needs children know what I mean. 🙂 She was the only true love in my life at that time and I will always miss her! Pura vida!

Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

My living room remembrance of Juli from “Compassionate Friends” support group.

Muted Colors Julia & Health Update

The Julia Heliconian Butterfly always has beige or muted colors on the bottom of the wings, but this one photographed in my garden in July seemed “muted” all over, most likely because of the sky or sunlight that particular day. It gave this particular butterfly a feeling of calm, sophistication, and nostalgia, I think. Evoking a sense of subtlety.

Muted Colors Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Costa Rica

See how bright an orange the top wings can be in my gallery: Julia Heliconian. And 2 more shots of this one . . .

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Julia Heliconian

The Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia (my gallery link) is a favorite butterfly of many here and is found from Brazil north to South Texas and the Florida peninsula. A lot more photos in my gallery linked above.

Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Julia Heliconian in Caribe

Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

This is one of my favorite butterfly species and I keep finding them almost everywhere I go in Costa Rica. See more of my photos of this beauty in my gallery: Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia.

¡Pura Vida!

Julia Heliconian

One of my favorite of the many orange butterflies is this Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia (linked to my gallery with much better photos) and not just because my special needs daughter was named Julianne! 🙂 Though probably related! 🙂

Depending on the light and the individual insect, the bottom of the wings or side views like below can be a beige, light tan or pale orange color rather than the bright orange always on the tops of the wings. See 2 or 3 like that in the gallery. Plus it is easy to confuse the top of the wings with the Juno Longwing I shared the other day, with only a slight design difference, though the bottom of wings are totally different between those two.

Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Julia Heliconian

I think this is one of the more beautiful butterflies that I see all over Costa Rica and is native to Central America down through Brazil with some now in South Texas and Florida. And of course the name reminds me of my loving special needs daughter Julianne who died of kidney failure in 1997, one of a series of tragic losses back then.

See some of my other photos of this butterfly in my Julia Heliconian Gallery. Here’s 3 photos of one in my garden on May 24 . . .

Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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