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A tiny little creature who stays close to the ground and on ground cover flowers like this. Not my first sighting, but first one this year. Formerly called Tulcis Crescent; see more photos in the Gallery: Pale-banded Crescent, Anthanassa tulcis.
¡Pura Vida!
In the past two years this was seen more often than this year for some reason. It was frequently near the ground or on grasses and ground-cover, but this time in October mostly on my Lantana flowers. It is very small, about the size of my thumbnail when his wings are folded. See more of my photos in the GALLERY: Hermes Satyr. This species is almost identical to another one found in the U.S. called Carolina Satyr, which is what I first labeled these guys here, but all indications are that here in Central America they are called Hermes and considered a different species. Here’s two shots from my garden . . .
It looks bluer in person than in the photos and the male is solid blue on top of wings, while the female is solid brown on top. This one is my first “blue” this year, I think. I found him on the yellow ground-cover flowers on my side of the driveway slope, where I have to use my walking stick (trekking pole) and good sports sandals or hiking shoes to hold me on the very steep slope while photographing. 🙂 Some species only go to certain flowers when available, so maybe I will start checking these flowers more often. 🙂 We are entering the “fewer butterflies season” for my garden until it picks up again next April/May, though there are some butterflies year around, just like the birds! See more photos of this species in my GALLERY: Eastern Tailed-Blue (including some blue tops). You will find more of these in the Eastern half of the U.S. and Canada than here, but this “northern butterfly” does range as far south as Costa Rica. We get them from both North & South America! 🙂 Here’s two shots from an October sighting . . .
The most common butterfly in my garden this year and one of the most common every year since I’ve lived here now nearly 11 years. But still a fine and interesting butterfly as is his cousin the White Peacock. You can see some of my other photos in the gallery Banded Peacock, Anartia fatima.
My second sighting of this species and this time a female while the previous time was a male who is distinguished by a blue-green (turquoise) patch on the topside of his hind wings which you can see in my gallery from the previous sighting, also in my garden! 🙂 See different views of both of these interesting swallowtails in my gallery: Dyar’s Swallowtail – Battus ingenus. Finding unusual species and the differences in them is just one fun part of butterflying along with birding! And I now believe that Costa Rica is the best place in the world for both, with more species per acre than any other country in the world. Just one side-view photo here. Go to the gallery for top and other views of both male and female. And note that with my first sighting I thought it was a Crammer’s Swallowtail, but have corrected that since with the help of experts on both BAMONA and iNaturalist.
¡Pura Vida!
If I’ve identified this correctly, it will be a new species for me. It is similar to one I saw earlier confirmed by iNaturalist as Aroma, aroma, so I hope that the identifiers on iNaturalist will agree with me & the AI on this one too, Blue-glossed Skipper, Onophas columbaria. (Linked to my gallery.) The third photo of one with darker wings was made later on the same day as the other 2 shots of the same insect.
This most frequent swallowtail in my garden has showed up a little less this year, but is always a pleasure to see. Here’s the two basic views, top view and side view . . .
Sometimes I’m not sure which of the several Longtails photos like this are, but from the beginning I was pretty sure these were Tanna and when iNaturalist AI agreed, I became pretty confident! 🙂 See my gallery of Tanna Longtail or if you go to iNaturalist Costa Rica you will see that I am the lead observer there, with the most photos. Tanna Longtail just seems to like it here in Atenas, as do I! 🙂
Costa Rica is so diverse in all its species that after 10+ years here, it is still not unusual to find a new species as I have with butterflies about 4 or 5 times this year. I was processing my several photos of the Falcate Skipper shared the other day (Oct 27) and in only one of those photos, I found this other butterfly partly hiding it. I slowly and painstakingly removed the Skipper from this photo in Photoshop so I could share and post on iNaturalist & BAMONA without the confusion of another butterfly on the same flower. 🙂 This Emesis ocypore (scientific name) is not very common, found from Southern Mexico to Columbia and also in parts of Africa! Yes! On two continents! In the Americas he is most common in Costa Rica, though on iNaturalist CR there are only 19 observations reported. Mine will make #20 when I get to it! And on BAMONA only 3 now, mine will make 4! 🙂 Here is my one and only photo of this rarity from my own garden on October 17, 2025 . . .
I did start a gallery for this species, but with only this one photo! It is at this link: Dark Emesis, Emesis ocypore. Note that it is in the Metalmark Family, Riodinidae.
¡Pura Vida!
. . . on one of my few Golden Shrimp flowers blooming this year (not enough sun I think). This Red-tailed Stingless Bee has the scientific name of Trigona fulviventris and the Spanish common name of Abeja Culo de Vaca. I have 8+ species of bees in my Bee Gallery, with only two other shots of this species, also in my garden.
¡Pura Vida!