This is my third sighting of a Little Banner, Nica flavilla (my gallery link), all in my garden and another tiny fingernail-sized butterfly with intricate details and bright colors. Here’s two shots from August and click the above linked gallery to see more.
. . . in my August garden, that is. 🙂 There are so many Skippers labeled “Longtail” (I have 16 Longtail Galleries) that it is difficult to say which is most common in Costa Rica or even in my garden, but I got photos of these three (and some more) in August, and they are 3 of the most obviously different longtails from each other, so they make the longtail post! 🙂 The three, alphabetically, with their galleries linked to their name headings . . .
One of the many spotted Yellows and Whites that I see so many of here, I’m finding them easier to identify. Just one shot from my August garden here, but you can see more in my GALLERY: Cloudless Sulphur, Phoebis sennae (linked).
Another dull brown skipper is made interesting with the addition of color – in this case a simple rim of yellow. To see him from different angles and postures, see other shots in my gallery: Yellow-rimmed Skipper, Aethilla lavochrea (linked). Here’s just one shot for now, from my garden in August . . .
This other common white for my garden is not as difficult to identify because of the strongly showing veins on underside of wings and the yellow accent spots with black or brown spot inside on the upper wings. The only possible confusion is that there is a Yellow Angled-Sulphur with the underside of wings almost identical, though supposedly more yellowish while the White is usually more white and/or greenish, plus the Yellow Angled-Sulphur does not have the topside yellow accent spots. Also there is one light brown spot on the underside of the wings of both which is rounded on the White and elongated on the Yellow. Little details make the difference in identification! 🙂 Just one image here from my garden and you can see more in my White Angled-Sulphur, Anteos clorinde GALLERY (linked).
This one has always been a little difficult for me to identify because of the same big black dot and sometimes two gray dots like Howarth’s White, but I believe now that the Giant White, Ganyra josephina (linked to my gallery) is the only White with the turquoise color on antennae and legs. Check my Howarth’s White Gallery to see how similar they are with those black and gray dots confusing me. The following 3 shots from my garden in August I believe are Giant White, based on the turquoise color.
The Frosted Flasher, Astraptes alardus (my gallery link) is one of those surprisingly colorful butterflies in the Skipper family. Here’s 4 shots from my garden the other day with more in the gallery linked above.
This has always been one of my favorite butterflies since I photographed my first back in 2005 in the Everglades National Park, Florida USA. And we even had a slightly different species in Tennessee called the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). I like the exoctic look! 🙂 Here’s just one shot from my garden earlier this month and see other photos in my Costa RicaTropical Buckeye GALLERY.
An attractive and different looking Skipper that I don’t see real often, but is one of those that shows up in my garden: Broken Silverdrop, Epargyreus exadeus (linked to my gallery with more photos).
A more traditional-looking butterfly today! 🙂 And we do have a really large number of the orange and black butterflies, but I find some of the others “more interesting!” 🙂 The Hecale Longwing, Heliconius hecale (linked to my gallery) is found throughout Central America and could actually be divided into 3 subspecies: Hecale zuleika, Hecale fornarina, and Hecale melicerta. I think this and most of mine are zuleika. Here’s just one shot and you can go to the gallery above for more photos.