www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Going through some pics on my computer I found my holiday pictures from way back in 2005 in Costa Rica and I thought it would be rude not to share the lepidoptera themed ones on here.

It was a 3 week working holiday, volunteering on a project to release captive bred Scarlet Macaws back to the wild. It was a fantastic time spent in two areas, Alajuela just outside the capital where the breeding center is located and Tiskita, one of the release sites near the Panama border in the south.

The breeding center had large areas unused and left to grow wild and I spent my first week, when not feeding the Macaws, exploring these areas, watching hummingbirds and trying to take pictures of anything that moved. I was still using slide film back then (got my first DSLR on a trip to Australia the following year) so the pictures below are all scans from them and not as pin sharp as I would like but hopefully they give an idea of what's flying around in that part of the world.

I used this great site to help ID most of my pictures: http://www.neotropicalbutterflies.com/index.html

Hope you enjoy

Wonderful butterflies - especially the last one, as you say! I look forward to part 2.

How about Detritivora barnesi for the Calephelis sp.?

http://www.butterfliesofamerica.com/L/i ... CL-2_i.htm

Guy

Thanks Guy, and yes you're right, that does look like a good candidate for that little metalmark. The pictures I remember really don't do them justice, the irridescence on them is amazing, especially when flitting around the undergrowth catching rays of sun!