Hello Kathy,

already a month has passed since we left Vieques and now we have finished our holidays.  We’re back to you as promised to give you some nice photos of butterflies taken on the beaches near Casa de Kathy and surroundings. I send you two or three photos of each of the most interesting species so if you like you can put some of them on your site. As I wrote in your notebook guests photographic hunting for butterflies of Vieques can be interesting as snorkeling in the coral, because these insects are real characters and have very different behaviors between them. The butterflies then have a scientific name that consists of two parts (Genus and species), but almost all the butterflies of Puerto Rico have the scientific name into three parts (Genus, species and subspecies) because they are local endemic species, which found only in Puerto Rico. Below I have added some information on each of the butterflies photographed in Vieques, and I have indicated in the order: the common name, the scientific name, and the place where it comes from each image.

1_ Tropical Buckeye (Junonia genoveva neildi) – found in Playa Media Luna & Playa Caracas – The Junonia resembles a peacock, and to photograph it  you have to walk along the dunes, at the edge of the forest near the beach. As soon as it notice your presence the male Junonia fly away fast, but do not need to chase him, because it promptly go back to the same place. If you stand still after a while it gets used to your presence and it comes to rest nearer and nearer. Then if you move a few meters it is easy to happen in the neighboring territory of another male of Junonia, which it struts waiting to attract the attention of a female.

2_Gulf Fritillary (Fritillary agraulis insularis) found near Sun Beach & Playa Navio. Gulf Fritillary with its orange wings edged with black is the most vain butterfly of Puerto Rico. She loves the sun and is easily met along the trails in the woods or on the lawn near the beach where rests on flowering plants without regard to your presence. If you get too close, it became nervous but it does not flee away, pull the wings instead of at the bottom have an arabesque of mother of pearl-colored spots. These particular designs confuse the profile of the butterfly and act as a camouflage. With closed wings Gulf Fritillary remains still safe as to be invisible.

3_ Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia charithonia) – found near Sun Beach – This butterfly is observed along the outer edge of the woods, where it showcases the flowers with open wings. The Zebra Longwing is completely distinctive, with long black wings banded with lemon yellow, in strong contrast colors (aposematic colors as warning signal) to remind predators that his blood is toxic. It has slow wafting flight and a tendency to roost communally at night.  Each member of the roost returns faithfully each night to the same perch to sleep.  So sound is heir sleep that one can pick a butterfly off its roost and return it later without waking any of the others.

4_ Puertorico Monarch (Danaus plexippus portoricensis) – found near Playa Navio – His Majesty the Monarch butterfly is a large very beautiful but also very lazy, and when not engaged in his long migratory journeys, he prefers quiet rest in the shade of the undergrowth. It ‘s the greatest cousin of the famous monarch who goes to spend the winter in Mexico. The catch sight by accident when a jeep passing touches the trees and disturbs forcing her to make a show of his majestic flight, but only for the short distance needed to find another more peaceful place. He let himself be photographed without difficulty early in the morning while having breakfast with open wings on plants in bloom.

5_ Puertorico Leafwing (Anaea troglodyte borinquenalis) – encountered near Playa Navio – Leafwing is very shy but is also curious like a squirrel. He knows perfectly well that the queues and the underside of its wings make it look like a dry leaf with petiole. Its strange scientific name indicates that it is of a butterfly very ancient origins. When alarmed performs a perfect loop till a point close to where the flight began snapping shut the wings and disappearing from view.  It is monitoring the situation until he resumes his stunts to play with Gulf Fritillary which also shares his orange smoke.

6_Black Duskywing (Ephyriades arcas philemon) found in Playa Esperanza. It is one of butterflies smaller but no less interesting. The stocky body and short wings give it the agility of a hummingbird, and escape from predators with a quick flight in a zig zag, The male laying on the rocks of the shore where do the waves of the sea, and keeps it open its black wings that perfectly emulate the color and sparkle of the wet surface of the rocks. The female is brown instead preferably rests on rocks or twigs of a lighter color to blend in so well.

But these are just a few of our meetings with the butterflies of Casa de Kathy, and before closing this brief review I would like to say something about those huge caterpillars banded black and yellow on frangipani tree in your garden. I had seen them on your site but I did not expect that they were still there so I was surprised by their beauty and their voracity. These are the caterpillars of a large moth of the family Sphingidae, just called frangipani Sphinx (Sphinx tetrio – Linnaeus), also known under the name of Giant Gray Sphinx, to the large size of this adult moth that flies only at night . Caterpillars are very photogenic, and see them up close was a great experience. I talked by phone of this species and the other with Dr. Luis Hernandez, director of the La Marquesa Forest Park of Guaynabo, thanks to his kind assistant to the La Marquesa Park who has traced him for us.

Thank you for your kind attention

Sincerely yours

Marco Cerullo & family

Italy