Antigua Butterflies
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 8:39 pm
Had a couple of weeks in the Caribbean primarily to grab some photos of Frigate Birds and Brown Pelicans.Managed to be in a hotel with a good degree of open scrub surrounding it,luckily packed my 7D and 100-400L plus a 100 2.8L macro.Good selection of local butterflies in surrounding area,as follows.I'm open to corrections with identification as it is quite difficult to find decent accounts of many of these islands,I'll probably be returning so would be good to know if theres any other people with interest in this part of the world.Have a gander....
A beautiful large skipper,I found it difficult to get the light right to show the purple sheen across the wings,does tend to stay around a favourite nectaring bush,but once sun out unstoppable.
The largest skipper I have ever seen! Trully magnificent,photographed low down in shrub when absolutely hammering down with rain,but when nectering in sunshine difficult to keep up with.
Could see them roosting on the highest parts of the shrubs,sometimes under leaves.
A typically manic flight pattern but quite approachable when settled,in both scrub and open grassland.
Extremely difficult to keep up with and approach,best with long lense from about 6 feet,both again,in thickets and open grassland.
Manic flying hairstreak style but would sit low down and pose when sun went behind clouds,in thickets and trees mainly.
Famous Fritillary of the whole region,very changeable markings across the region,free roaming but finding a nectaring plant they would hang around,once again easily approachable when raining or copulating!
Tiny blue all over the place,male and female different colours
All over the place again skimming close to ground finding small flowers to nectar,most difficult to photograph,believe the females were lighter yellow,almost looked white.
Ranging butterfly,never stopping,got lucky early one morning.
Basks on open ground and generally lift when close,best approached when dull.
Common skipper,quite ok to approach when not so hot,female more brown than male.
Approachable and nectaring on ornamental flowers.
Most happy with this,came down to roost right in front of me,got up early the next morning ,but gone,thought it was a small bird at first,a superb butterfly.Powerful and rangy.
What I really went for!
Quite difficult to gauge habits and behaviour of the butterflies but most were gone,hit a roost, by mid afternoon,good fun though.
- Caribbean Duskywing(Ephyriades arcas philemon)
- Common Long Tailed Skipper(Urbanus proteus)
- Common Long Tailed Skipper(Urbanus proteus)
Could see them roosting on the highest parts of the shrubs,sometimes under leaves.
- Miami Blue (Cyclargus thomasi subsp.) Thanks for the pointer Guy!
- Disjunct Scrub Hairstreak (Strymon bubastus ponce)
- Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus phyleus)
- Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus phyleus)
- Fulvous Hairstreak (Electrostrymon angelia)
- Gulf Fritillary Silver Spotted Flambeau (Agraulis vanillae)
- Gulf Fritillary Silver Spotted Flambeau (Agraulis vanillae)
- Hanno Blue (Hermiargus hanno)
- Hanno Blue (Hermiargus hanno)
- Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa euterpe)
- Orange Sulpher (Phoebis agarithe antillia)
- Tropical Buckeye (Junonia evarete)
- Tropical Chequered Skipper (Pyrgus oileus)
- Tropical Chequered Skipper (Pyrgus oileus)
- White Peacock (Anartia jatrophe)
- White Peacock (Anartia jatrophe)
- Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
- Pelecanus occidentalis
- Fregata magnificens
Quite difficult to gauge habits and behaviour of the butterflies but most were gone,hit a roost, by mid afternoon,good fun though.
