The Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima) is one of the most common butterflies in Costa Rica, and likes fluttering in sunny open areas like pastures and riverbanks. The males of the species are territorial, so if a Banded Peacock seems to be chasing you, it probably is. But not because it likes you!
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There are many species of Army Ants that thrive in Costa Rica, and I’m not sure which species it is that Nito picked out of a swarm on the rainforest floor. While guiding a hike from Serena to Carate, Nito wanted to show us the ants’ fierce pinchers. Getting bitten is not a risk I would have taken! Yet somehow Nita caught the insect, held it for a photo, and safely released it, without getting nipped.
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In rain forests all over Costa Rica, it’s not difficult to find Leafcutter Ants (Atta cephalotes) parading in a line, and carrying leaf pieces they’ve extracted from a tree. The vegetation is not eaten by the ants, but rather is used to fertilize a special fungus that only grows within the Leafcutter’s colony. Thus, this agrarian society of insects grows its own food!
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