Costa Rica - Butterflies and Orchids

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We spent the last couple of nights before we went back to San Jose at the Punta Leona Hotel & Club in the Central Pacific Region . . . where the rainforest comes down to the ocean. Well this is far more than a resort – it’s more like a community. In addition to the Hotel (or many hotels) there are apartments, condos, grocery stores, floating bars, lounges, restaurants, bars and many more activities. Actually I think I would have liked to come here at the start of the tour rather than the end.

 On the second day of our stay, the schedule included an outrigger canoe trip along the coast to view more wildlife and geological formations. Most of the folks went on the outriggers but my choice was to spend that time at the butterfly farm. Costa Rica has 90% of all Central American species and 18% of the total earth’s population of butterflies.

Butterfly Farm

The Mariposario butterfly farm is within the Punta Leona property.  It is open air but enclosed with netting. It’s so peaceful with beautiful flora and a marvellous array of butterflies.

It’s not difficult to identify the big, colourful butterflies like the Blue Morpho and the Owl Butterfly but finding the identification of the smaller ones, less common ones has been quite a challenge.

The Blue Morpho is often called Morpho Peleides. They are not actually blue. The sun is reflected off scales on their wings that emit the blue colour – that is the males, the females appear brown.
The Blue Morpho 

The Owl Butterfly

The Owl Butterfly is native to Costa Rica but has spread out over most of Central and northern South America. Some theorists speculate that the dark owl eyes on its wings will ward off predators and allow the butterfly to escape.

 

Owl Caterpillar

The Owl butterfly has been a curse for the banana industry. The caterpillars grow on banana plants causing considerable destruction and then the adults feed on the fermented fruit.

The Tiger Clear Wing

The Monarch Butterfly

Butterfly vs. Moth?

Moths tend to be nocturnal while butterflies generally come out during the day. Butterflies land with their wings closed while moths land with their wings open. A more often than not, butterflies are more colourful with a greater variety of decoration while moths tend to be rather dull and yellow/brown tones.

Orchids

In Costa Rica, the orchid is the ‘Guaria Morada’ and has been the national flower since 1939.

The Botanical Orchid Garden has developed as an ecosystem for the growth and development of the orchids. As you meander along the tropical trails there are varieties of gardens, exhibition spots, nurseries and above all - learning experiences.

Most of the orchids are developed in the laboratories and then integrated into the gardens to propagate amongst the surrounding tropical growth.

  Show Room

  

 Water Gardens

  

 Demo Nursery and Laboratory

Walking Trails