whirlabout skipper Archives - Retired in Costa Rica

May 25, 2025May 20, 2025

Last 2 Butterflies from Calle Nueva

Well, it is a little trouble getting there, but almost always productive when I walk the 10 blocks through town to get to Calle Nueva and this May 10 walk gave me 10 species of butterflies which I finish today. Tomorrow I’ll share the 3 birds I photographed and the next day the other wildlife, then back to sharing from my garden! 🙂

These two little guys are always nice, even when one is damaged like this time: Tailed Orange – Pyrisitia proterpia (iNaturalist CR link since I have no gallery yet.) and the more common Whirlabout Skipper – Polites vibex (my gallery link). This was my first sighting of a Tailed Orange!

Whirlabout Skipper, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Tailed Orange, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

September 2, 2023August 14, 2023

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! 🙂