www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Glad you liked the snaps
This butterfly was really common and I was able to see it on the coast ,in the mangrove's and also in the mountain area I visited in the south east of the island.probly the most common butterfly there

QUESTION ?
Is it getting old when you put something away that is important and forget the special safe place !!!!
ive just found my memory card from my hols, it was in a special safe place that i forgot !!!!!!!!!!

more fritilarys from Cuba

These specimens where taken in the south east of the country high up in the hills/mountains

More butterflies which got me into trouble as the better half was getting tired of making excuses for me making the coach late

i was also pleased to see some swallow tails right out side the hotel

Yup, you're getting old, Maverick! But I'm very glad you found it.

More great species. The first, bright orange, one is the flame, Dryas iulia, and the second another Heliconid, the zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonius (or charithonia, according to some authorities). Next is the Mexican fritillary, Euptoieta hegesia, and finally the Bahaman swallowtail, Papilio andraemon.

Guy

thanks for the info , i wouldnt have a clue where to start

Yes, definitely a sign of getting old. Or maybe I am just jealous that I didn't manage to get any pictures of Gulf Fritillary, Julia Heliconian or Swallowtails when I was in St Lucia, despite them flying all around me!!
I am so pleased you found your memory card (if not your memory!!). I would be devastated if I lost a card full of pictures.

At the side of the hotel there was a large grass area where there was masses of butterflies
hope im not being boring here

there where also some large yellow butterflies hard to get close to but im not one for giving up

The little blues have got me here, i think there is two types ,one variiey seems to be a long tail but ive looked at the photos a few times but im still not sure
for a small butterfly they didnt half move about a lot

My last Cuban post of butterflies
one of the skippers and what im calling a small brown job (for now)
just dont ask for me to post the toads ,land crabs, birds,and 5 types of lizzards

Back to reality and i had a moan earlier saying that there wasnt much moving about in the cold Northwest
well what a surprise i had at the back of my house, ive only gone and got my first brimstone on film along with 5 other butterflies

Hi Maverick. A few pointers to the IDs in your last sets of Cuban butterflies. I'm still in the UK, without books, so I'll leave some to check later if someone else (Nick Morgan?) doesn't give you the definite IDs.

The two Nymphalids are white peacock (Anartia jatrophae) and West Indian buckeye (Junonia evarete). The grizzly is the tropical chequered skipper, Pyrgus oileus (Americans call Pyrgus species 'chequered skippers'). The smaller yellows are Eurema sp. (grass yellows) - I need a book for those - and the large ones Phoebis sp - I also need a book. But you might be able to track them down on the internet. The tailless blue is Hemiargus hanno (I don't know the common name) and the tailed one actually a hairstreak, Strymon istapa, the mallow scrub hairstreak. The Satyrid with a bit of red is very interesting. It is one of the species in the genus Calisto. All the Calisto species found on Cuba are endemic to Cuba, I believe - so that is a really good thing to find. The orange skipper I definitely need the books for!

Nick Morgan has Smith's Butterflies of the West Indies, so he can probably narrow down the ones I've left vague.

Brillant stuff!

Guy

I saw your posts yesterday lunch time at work and thought I could check out the book at home, but I have only just remembered!
The first picture posted on 9th April is the White Peacock as Guy said.
The second picture - Junonia evarete? I suspect it could be Junonia genoveva. This used to be considered a subspecies of evarete, but is now thought to be a separate species. I find separating the two species very difficult and apparently the specimens were mixed up when they were first described and now various books show the wrong plates for each species. Certainly the pictures on the internet don't help. I believe that a view of the underside would be conclusive, but I never saw one with its wings closed. Your picture looks almost identical to those I saw, which I identified as genoveva using Smith's images. I would love to know for sure, though.
The third picture is the Tropical Chequered Skipper, Pyrgus oileus, as Guy said.
The fourth picture certainly looks like Eurema, but the forewing looks quite pointed, which confuses me! The best I can come up with is Eurema lisa, the Little Yellow.
The best I can come up with for the fifth picture is Eurema nicippe, The Sleepy Orange.
I am fairly confident that the sixth picture is Eurema lisa. The problem with the Pieridae in the Caribbean is, not only are there lots of them, but often they occur in wet season and dry season forms and they differ slightly between the islands!
The seventh picture is a male Cloudless Yellow, Phoebis sennae.
Guy has pictures eight and ten correct with Hemiargus hanno, the common name is Hanno's Blue!!
For Picture nine, I am not sure. Strymon istafa isn't shown in my books, but I have found it on the internet. I was thinking that they could be Strymon columella, Hewlitson's Hairstreak, although the dots on the forewing seem more pronounced than in the book, so Guy is most likely right (as always!!!).
Picture eleven is a good match for Strymon columella, but again could be istafa again.
I would say that your Calisto is Calisto herophile what a beautiful butterfly.
For the Skipper, how about Choranthus radians, The Rayed Skipper. I can't find anything else close that lives on Cuba.
I would be interested to hear what Guy thinks once he is home with his books!

I actually sore about three different types of skipper,the one in the picture was the largest that I have seen,I couldn't get good pictures of the others
Thanks for having a go at the ID
I was really impressed at the variety out there and I've been looking again at the whites there was difference's in the sizes of some of the picture s which now makes me think that they could be different. I'm no expert and have just stared to know to know the differences with UK butterflies, out there I had no chance
In a way it doesn't really matter, I had great fun hunting around finding different sorts at different locations and I would recomend Cuba to anybody
Thanks again I just hope you all enjoy the pictures

i ve been and had a look at Gait Barrows today and Arnside , fat chance of seeing any butterflies as the temprature did not go above 12c and was cloudy most of the day. Not to worry as i now have another site to go to when it warms up a little
What i did see was the wood anemones in the woods near by. The better half also likes the little village that we stopped in so it looks as if a return is on the cards

well the green veined whites are now out in force in Warrington, just counted about 6 at the back of my house tonight
the speckled woods are getting more common also

ive seen my first orange tip of the year on my local patch yesterday so im made up
also i managed to get a better shot of the green veined white