Costa Rica Butterflies November 2024 - Part 4

Opposite the main entrance to the hotel was a track heading into the “dry Forest”. It didn’t look very tropical and actually reminded me a little of Scotland! There were trees scattered around with short, lush vegetation under them.

Higher up the track there was a lot more scrub where I found cattle grazing! 

I am told that in the dry season most of the trees lose their leaves and I imagine the vegetation on the ground will die back. I also hear that the dry season is much better for viewing wildlife because of the lack of leaves, but I have been told that there are a lot fewer butterflies flying then.

This certainly proved to be a fantastic place to look for butterflies when we were there. I have never been anywhere where there were so many butterflies and such a great variety. 

As soon as I crossed the road I spotted a white butterfly feeding on some small flowers in the verge. This was a White Peacock, Anartia jatrophae – a butterfly that I would see most days at the hotel or along the track.

Within a few feet of it I saw a little blue butterfly that turned out to be a Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus. This has recently been separated from the identical-looking Hanno Blue, Hemiargus hanno. This was the only blue, or in fact the only Lycaenidae I saw in Costa Rica. I would tend to see one or two of them each time I walked along this track.

And right next to it was my favourite butterfly of the trip, an Elf, Microtia elva. These beautiful little butterflies are the only species in the Microtia genus. Their wing length is only about 15mm and they drift around with a very rapid wing beat, typical of tropical long-wing butterflies.

They turned out to be really common along that track, but were quite difficult to spot sometimes, as they drifted into my field of vision like floaters in my eyes!

I was lucky enough to see this one laying eggs and after it finished I turned the leaf over to see the eggs.

I had seen these three species along with two species of Skipper within about six feet of the road and hadn’t even started walking along the track!

Next, a few feet further along the track was this beautiful Malachite, Siproeta stelenes. These turned out to be quite a common butterfly along the track and in the hotel grounds. I had always wanted to see them in the wild, having previously seen them in tropical butterfly houses.

One of the most common butterflies along the track was the Theona Checkerspot, Chlosyne theona. I probably saw over 100 of these beautiful butterflies each time I walked along the track.

I was delighted to see some more beautiful little Pale-banded Crescents, Phyciodes tulcis.

I will have to continue this over a couple more posts, as there is a limit on how many labels I can attach to each post.