First the metalmarks a very hard group of butterflies.
White-banded Metalmark, Hypophylla sudias Male, the female has the white band. This little metalmark would fly around flashing that brilliant blue and land under leaves to hide. This photo was taken from the ground up with flash to fill in the colors.
Saw just this one at Rio on Pools.
Saw just this one at Rio on Pools.
Barnes Metalmark, Detritivora barnesi also called the Cloaked Scintillant depending on where you find the common name. We saw lots of these they liked sunny spots in the forest and would land in the sun after chasing each other.
Fire-banded metalmark, Panaropsis elegans
Saw just this one at Rio on Pools.
Red-bordered Pixie, Melanis pixe
I;ve seen these gems in Southern Texas, well worth the search for them.
Found this near Blue Hole in an orange grove next to a river,
One of the whites we saw
One of the whites we saw
Common Melwhite, Melete lycimnia isandra
We found a weedy yard full of these on these flowers.
Above and below
Gaudy Checkerspot, Chlosyne g. gaudialis
There were 3 of these all fresh like this one. In the orange grove near Blue Hole.
There were 3 of these all fresh like this one. In the orange grove near Blue Hole.
Guatemalan Crescent, Tegosa guatemalena
We saw lots of these orange beauties.
Flag Skipper, Moeris striga stroma
Saw two of these little beauties!
Turk's-cap White Skipper, Heliopetes macaira
They have these in Texas.
Least Heliconian, Euiedes aliphera
Also called Juliette, the larger ones in the USA are called Julias.
Tiger Heliconian, Heliconius ismenius
These gave us quite the show!
Queen, Danaus gilippus
These are common in the southern US
Above and below
Guatemalan Catone, Catonephele mexicana,
Guatemalan Catone, Catonephele mexicana,
Smooth-banded Sister, Adelpha cytherea
One of my favorite group of butterflies!
And the last one.
All of those butterflies are beautiful, but nothing can top the first one in my humble opinion :D
ReplyDeleteI like the ones that have wide, Charlie Brown-esque stripes across them :)
ReplyDeleteSo many beautiful butterflies. It's wonderful to see these when it's going to be a while before we see a lot of them here.
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos, Randy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a collection! The Tiger Heliconian is magnificent.
ReplyDeletewow seems to cover it. great photos.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful photos, Randy! Aren't the metal marks a very Quick butterfly? You do a wonderful job of capturing them... and I can't believe you were able to photograph the one Under the leaf without scaring it! :-) Someday, I'd love to see Queen. Isn't there a family of butterflies called "snout butterflies?" I love the little snout on the catone, and I can understand why you like your smooth banded sister.
ReplyDeleteFeather in your cap, Randy, for capturing that last butterfly!! :-)
They are all so pretty! I really love the blue on the first one. I'm always amazed at how much detail you get in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteWow, you really hit the jackpot getting such awesome photos of all those butterflies! I can't pick a favorite, but that yellow one with "sister" in the name is right up there. I am amazed at all the details!
ReplyDeleteLoveley butterflies.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Queen best because it looks familiar. Looking forward to when we'll see 'familiar' all over. Bees are out; can butterflies be far behind?
ReplyDeleteYour Live Traffic feed shows me as arriving from Ocilla, GA today. Sometimes it thinks I'm in Florida. Other times I appear over in Alabama, depending on which tower picks up my signal. Makes me feel like a butterfly, too, flitting from place to place.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! What a wonderful trip it must have been.
ReplyDeleteCameron
Forgot to ask -- any additional news about the overwintering of Danaus plexippus in Mexico? The news about the rainfall, flooding, cold has been grim.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Cameron
Kyna,
ReplyDeleteThe first butterfly was a stunner, the striped hairstreak and white Satyr of previous posts were my favorites if the trip.
Ginger,
Charlie Brown-esque stripes OK this I don't quite get:)
SweetBay.
Usually by late march we'll see a lot of butterflies here. Try a fresh patch of Chicasaw Plum to see lots of them.
Littlewing,
Those tigers were really something.
Janet,
Thanks we went on the butterfly off season.
Grace,
Thanks I have seen better photos come out of that old camera.
Shady,
Metalmarks are a bit slow compared the zippy hairstreaks and elfins.
Catherine,
I keep trying, been shooting butterflies a very long time, never seem to get tired of it.
Sue,
There are a lot of different sisters, I have only seen 3-4 of them.
Signe,
Thanks for stopping in, please do return soon.
Neil Jean,
I know what you mean about the Live Traffic feed, I'm shown as Ruther Glen Virginia, never been there and I'm in Durham, must be the satellite internet here.
Cameron,
Been getting bits and pieces about the Mexican Monarchs. Think they got 15 inches of snow the other day. Thousands of years roosting there the weather is not as much of threat as mankind is. 20-40 percent losses can be the normal. A huge loss of Monarchs means a boom year for milkweeds then the next year is a boom year for Monarchs.
Amazing photos. As someone who spent a day butterfly hunting last summer, and got nothing but totally blurry out-of -focus pics, I am very, very envious. Hoever did you convince them to stay still ...?
ReplyDeleteRandy, I'm astonished at your Belize butterfly posts. Not only are they stunningly beautiful, but you have identified species from very difficult groups like tropical skippers. You mentioned a field guide. Which one are you using?
ReplyDeleteWow! Randy what a collection you have! It must have been such a joy for you to be in their world! I guess you will have to receive an honor for your portrait of the Yellow-edged Flasher! A delight to see these!! ;>)
ReplyDeleteYour Heliconius ismenius is a Mechanitis lysimnia utemaia. Great gallery!
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