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When watering the other day this Tropical Buckeye, Junonia zonalis (linked to my gallery) was hanging out on and around the water hose. So I had to go get the camera! 🙂 The Buckeye has always been one of my tropical favorites since the first one I saw in the Florida Everglades many years ago. There are 3 or 4 varieties of the Buckeye, but all are similar and this is the one we have here in Costa Rica. Here’s 3 totally different views of this “Hose Buckeye” . . .
. . . for me! Not rare or that unusual, but the first one I’ve seen. Photos of 235 individuals in Costa Rica are posted on iNaturalist. And a lot from all over on butterfliesandmoths. Saw him today at midday on my Cecropia Tree. Not seeing as many butterflies or birds with the continued high winds. And it was a strong gust of wind that had him flying away too quickly to catch a shot of the top of wings which are dark brown with bright orange in the middle. Orion (Cecropian) – Historis odius are his English common names & scientific name. The common name here in Spanish is Mariposa lumbrera (Light Butterfly). And even in the wind, there are many nature discoveries to be found! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Not real common, though I’ve seen at least 3 other times in my garden, the Eastern Tailed-Blue, Cupido comyntas (linked to my gallery) has before been almost totally blue on top with less brown than this one, but with research, I’m confident that this set of photos is properly identified, even though Ceraunus Blue has more brown like this, it has a totally different set of black dots. Plus one article says that females are more brown, so maybe this is a female! 🙂 And all photos are of the same individual. Plus, interestingly, every time I’ve seen this species, it has been in grasses and never yet on a flower. 🙂 Here’s 3 photos . . .
This has been one of the most common butterflies in my garden and maybe they are starting to return early! 🙂 For at least two years I called it a Carolina Satyr, which most sources say appears only in the Eastern U.S. while from Mexico south the almost identical butterfly is the Hermes Satyr and I have yet to learn the difference in the two, other than their locale. I expect to see a lot more in the coming months. See more of my photos of this beautiful work of “brown art” in my Gallery Hermes Satyr.
¡Pura Vida!
This sailor (one of several “sailor” species) has been seen in my garden before and one other place in Atenas (8th Ave) plus my last previous sighting was in Cahuita National Park in Caribe Sur last October. See all my photos of this species in its own gallery: Pale Sailor, Dynamine agacles core. And yes, it seems to be a little rare with only one other person posting on butterfliesandmoths dot org and only 6 people on iNaturalist Costa Rica. So not an everyday butterfly! 🙂
Here’s three shots of one last Saturday in my garden . . .
This one is one of about 30 different green-colored Hairstreak butterflies in my main book, but has several characteristics that make him different from the others. And yes, I had one about a month ago, but since there are not a lot of butterflies now (and even fewer birds), I’m sharing this find in my garden the other day. I’ve had this one several times over the last year, as shown in the GALLERY Tropical Greenstreak, Cyanophrys herodtus.
. . . maybe in the genus Argia (says iNaturalist’s computer), though I cannot find a match in the book Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica nor online in iNaturalist. None seem to have those bright (yellow-gold) spots on wings nor the orangey body color, so I am again stumped on an ID. 🙂 Here’s two different-looking photos of the same individual.
See my Costa Rica Dragonflies & Damselflies GALLERY for many other species (50+) I’ve collected in Costa Rica. Another amazing category of wildlife in Costa Rica!
¡Pura Vida!
Wednesday morning just before 6 am I went out on the terrace to open the gate for my maid an saw this unusual sight, a Pale or Yellow-fronted Owl-Butterfly, Caligo telamonius (linked to my gallery) eating from the Hummingbird feeder. Got my camera and a few shots before he flew away! 🙂 The sun was coming up behind some clouds, so not a lot of light, thus the photo below with fast shutter speed in the dim light is not very sharp and has a glare, while the feature photo at top of post was made with the flash turned on and I think it’s a better photo. I don’t remember ever seeing a butterfly at a hummingbird feeder before, but then there are a lot of things I don’t remember! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
I earlier said that my only butterfly now in the garden is a few Banded Peacocks and I don’t count the Yellows flying up in the trees for reasons I don’t know. Well, the next day after that post, this lone Polydamas Swallowtail showed up in my garden. But still no birds beyond the hummingbird! 🙂 See more of my photos of this Polydamas Swallowtail, Battus polydamas in that gallery. During the butterfly season he is a regular!
¡Pura Vida!
So it seems with most birds & butterflies! Except for two! A couple of Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds and a couple of Banded Peacock Butterflies! IT IS VERY WINDY! Yet I caught these two species flying anyway! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
And those were my Monday afternoon photos to get the blog going again! Busy with other things the last two days! 🙂 For more photos of these two hardy creatures, see my Galleries: