The Long-tailed skipper is not just a beautiful butterfly but it is the largest skipper known in Costa Rica. They feed mainly on grass and are known to skip as they fly, that is even where the name skipper is derived from.
I love taking photographs of this wondrous creature and that is one reason I may be said to welcome them in my ‘secret garden’. It is rather saddening to note that bean growers categorize them as agricultural pests may be because their caterpillars feed on the plants in the bean family. What an irony!
With blue and green scales that resemble hairs along their backs, the long-tailed skippers which are mostly found in the jungles of Costa Rica drinking from the numerous brightly colored flowers, are easily noticed because of their ‘tails’ that protrude from their wings. They are also found in good numbers in Southern, South North and Central America. That they make positive contributions in the wild life can no be entirely written off.
These skippers, while in the garden, lays their egg on the butterfly pea plants and most of the time, they do lay the eggs in groups. The tips of these eggs turn darker just before they hatch.
These long-tailed skippers whose predators include frogs, dragon flies, spiders, birds and wasps must always hide from them for them to survive. The caterpillars do this effectively by hiding in a leafy shelter they must have chosen. They are some wondrous creatures and this is even more pronounced on creative ways they device to escape from their predators. Most of the time, they chew leaves and use same to wrap themselves, thereby effectively covering themselves from any predator. The caterpillar normally comes out to eat in the night when the maundering predators will be fewer but hides in their shelter during the day. The way these long-tailed skipper caterpillars hide themselves and camouflage under the leaf section has earned them the name ‘bean leafroller’.
These are not all there is about long-tailed skippers but it is of importance to note that these little creatures are just part of the wild life that abounds in different green areas of Costa Rica. You may even find them inspiring when you take a closer look at their several survival and growth strategies. No wonder that it is not uncommon to see some tourists taken zoomed pictures of these insects. They are unique in so many ways but the perceived ‘damage’ which they are regarded to cause the bean family are not much when compared to the general characteristics they posses. These insects are very colorful and a delight the human eyes. A lot of books have been written in the past on these insects and there popularity is still growing till date. The wild life and other wild insect preservation group around the world ensured that such beautiful creatures are well persevered. So when next you visit Costa Rica do take some time to observe the beauty of this wonderful insect.
**This article was inspired by “Elizabeth’s Secret Garden” columnist for The Costa Rica News.
