2 Strange Moths at the End of May

On the 29th & 30th of May two unusual moths showed up at my house, one inside and one outside in the garden. The featured photo is one I’ve had before in my garden and seen on a trip to a South Pacific Rainforest. Once called “Giant Butterfly Moth,” it is now called the disgusting name of Screwworm” – Telchin atymnius (linked to my gallery). It is more beautiful when the wings are open with more white and a big orange patch (see the above linked gallery for that).

Screwworm – Telchin atymnius, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

-o-

And the other one, seen inside my house on the kitchen floor, was comparatively tiny, identified on iNaturalist as a Packard’s Eusarca Moth – Eusarca packardaria, linked to Wikipedia which says it is in North America, but being in the middle of North & South America, we often get species from both sides. Though I am the first to report one on iNaturalist Costa Rica, so it might get re-labeled as something else, though this was the ID of iNaturalist AI and I think a good match.

Packard’s Eusarca Moth – Eusarca packardaria, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Banded Yellow

This tiny butterfly appears at first to be plain beige with dark patches showing through from the top side (they are dark brown patches). But if you look close you can see a faint yellow band along the edge of the forward wing. The only ones I’ve seen have been in my garden and on the nearby Calle Nueva dirt road. See my other shots, including one top view showing those dark brown patches and at least one with a more obvious yellow band! 🙂 All in my gallery: Banded Yellow, Limoncito de Faja, Eurema elathea.

Banded Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Pink-spotted Cattleheart

One of the few unique butterflies I saw in May, the Pink-spotted Cattleheart (my gallery link) is found only from Mexico to Costa Rica. They like my garden. 🙂 But this one would not come out in the open like a few in my above-linked gallery. All but one in the gallery were seen in my garden, with the one exception being at Villa Caletas, Jaco, just an hour west of here. Like with a few other butterfly species, I am the #1 observer of this in Costa Rica on iNaturalist. 🙂

Pink-spotted Cattleheart, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Pink-spotted Cattleheart, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

My sick stomach is slowly getting better with meds & careful eating.

Silence in Photography

See my notes on yesterday’s class on SILENCE for Photography & Mindfulness at:

Pause 6: Silence including a link to YouTube recording of song “The Sound of Silence” or find links to my collection of notes on Photography & Mindfulness. 🙂

Dina Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Pre-rain cloudiness this morning, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Great Spreadwing

This Great Spreadwing Damselfly (my gallery link) has the scientific name of  Archilestes grandis and the Spanish common name of Caballito Crucifijo Mayor. The name refers to the fact that it is one of the few damselflies that always lands with wings spread out. And this is my 4th sighting of one in my garden. It must like Atenas too! 🙂 See more photos in my gallery linked above.

¡Pura Vida!

It is still windier than usual for May, but less frequently now. I’ve photographed a lot of birds in my garden but no great photos yet. And fewer butterflies. 🙂 I’m staying home and resting this weekend because of a little stomach virus (taking medications) and want to be full of energy for my Monday to Wednesday visit to Xandari which has been a good butterfly source in the past.

Photos of 350 Species!

I just published what is probably the largest Costa Rica Butterfly & Moth book available anywhere. Click the front cover below or go to this bookstore link for a free preview of all 86 pages! https://www.blurb.com/b/12881815-350-costa-rica-butterflies-and-moths

CLICK above cover image to go to a free preview of all pages.

This will probably be my last butterfly book, so I encourage you to get one now or at least go look at it. Every species includes the available English & Spanish Common Names plus the Latin Scientific Name which is available for all, while a few species don’t have “common names.” 🙂 There are three rare butterfly species included that are rarely ever seen.

And for you neighbors of mine in Residential Roca Verde, don’t forget that I have a smaller 7×7 inches book of just Roca Verde Butterflies with 180 species photographed here, mostly in my garden.

¡Pura Vida!

Laverna Metalmark

One of the most seen butterflies in my garden was seen the first time this year a couple of days ago, so maybe we are about to get back to normal (if the wind will just stop blowing!). 🙂 See my photo collection at Laverna Metalmark.

Laverna Metalmark, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Juno Silverspot

As butterflies slowly return, even in the wind, I welcome another former regular, the Juno Silverspot (my gallery link) even if not really good photos. I’ve seen him flying by more than landing anywhere, but barely managed to get these two shots, side view & top.

Juno Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Juno Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Ziba Scrub-Hairstreak

I’m trying to be more patient, just sitting on the terrace long enough to see something like this hairstreak land on one of my flowers for maybe 20 seconds, meaning that one then has to be quick to snap a photo! 🙂 This one is not a stranger to my garden as you can see in the gallery: Ziba Scrub-Hairstreak, Strymon ziba. The former English common name was “Red-spotted Scrub-Hairstreak” and the Spanish common name still is. I guess some committee somewhere makes all these name changes for both birds and butterflies.

And, with it still being quite windy, I’m forced to be patient and wait for one to show up in the lulls of the wind. And the same patience is needed for an interesting bird to land in a tree too, as they eventually will, even on windy days. 🙂

Ziba Scrub-Hairstreak, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Leopard Moth

My first sighting of one of these, on my bathroom wall yesterday. There are more species of moths than butterflies, but most are nocturnal, thus I see fewer.

Leopard Moth, Hypercompe caudata, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

This moth is in the Erebidae Family of moths, the family from which I’ve seen my most moths. See the gallery (linked above) to see some of the others in this moth family.