Category: Places

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Bright Scintillant or Rounded Metalmark?

In the Glassberg book, this matches what Jeffrey Glassberg calls the Bright Scintillant, a Calephelis Species, but my butterfly websites don’t list it as an official species, so I continue to list it in the next closest match, Rounded Metalmark, Calephelis perditalis, though I think it should be listed as a separate subspecies. Most of the characteristics of these two are the same with the Bright Scintillant obviously being brighter and also the border fringe is brown and white checkered, while the Rounded is one solid color. But I’m not in charge of naming butterflies, so I label them the best I can with what information I do have. 🙂 Here’s four shots of one recently in my garden and be aware that he is tiny, only a little larger than my thumbnail . . .

Rounded Metalmark, Atenas, Costa Rica
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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! 🙂

Whirlabout Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica
Whirlabout Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Mystery Insect

Yes, I too think it is probably one of the thousands of brown Skippers, but all the books and websites making ID dependent on the wing patterns with top and side views, this “in your face” photo does not help me to identify him! But I still thought it an interesting photo worth sharing! 🙂

Unidentified Insect, possibly a Skipper Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica

Depending on what you think it is, check out what else is in my Costa Rica Galleries on:

  • Butterflies & Moths, 216+ species
  • Other Insects, 82+ species
  • In both groups you will find lots more “Mystery Insects” or unidentified species. And anytime you think you know the identification of one of these unidentified photos, please CONTACT me!

¡Pura Vida!

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Pompeius Skipper

This Pompeius Skipper or Pompeius pompeius scientific name is a new butterfly sighting for me! I continue to be amazed that during this El Niño Year of radical climate change when I’ve been seeing fewer birds and butterflies that I am still seeing new species for me! It is fun! 🙂 And it demonstrates the huge number of species here in Costa Rica! 🙂

My two photos below show one to be lighter in color than the other but both the books and the websites indicate such variations plus different light does that in photos of anything. Plus these are different individuals at different times on different flowers! 🙂

Pompeius Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Pompeius Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Baby Iguanas

The iguanas are multiplying around my place! 🙂 This first one I snapped on the railing of my terrace which is only 5 cm or 2 inches wide and he used about half that width, to give you an idea of size. Small! Two shots, one from distance and one zoomed in. And then a couple of days later I photographed one on the asphalt driveway that is even smaller and greener. They are born green. Here’s two shots on the railing and then two of the smaller one on the driveway, both with full-body shots and close-ups of the face and upper body.

Baby Spiny-tailed Iguana, Atenas, Costa Rica
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Hummingbird in Ficus Tree

The other day I caught a few shots of this Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (the dominant and thus only species in my garden) in an unusual place for me, the dark shadows of the Higueron or Strangler Fig or Ficus Tree. I had to really work at lightening the shadows in these two shots but think the second one is particularly interesting because of how his head and neck are twisted around, unlike any photo yet of one of these, while this first shot is pretty traditional! 🙂

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Atenas, Costa Rica
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Atenas, Costa Rica

See more in my Rufous-tailed Hummingbird GALLERY.

¡Pura Vida!