A robberfly in Mexico.

I'd visited Puerto Vallarta with a friend two years ago B.I. ( Before INaturalist ) and was enthralled with the wildlife and the town. We'd hit it during the Day of the Dead festival. So much to look at. Genuine tradition. Slightly touristy with the beaches and shops - really not my thing. My friend really wanted to do stuff like that: drink his brains out and close every bar and lay on the beach the next day. He got frustrated with me as I stopped in every vacant lot and photographed butterflies and insects.
So, I gave into him and got one of the worst sunburns of my life on the tops of my feet. "You do your thing. I'll do mine." I didn't bring him back this time.
The first night I arrived, torrential rain, which was thrilling to watch from below an awning. Out crawled a Black Witch - a moth with the largest wingspan of any insect in North America. I was hoping to see one down here and boom! first night we were both dodging the rain together
This time I returned to meet up with someone I'd met here on iNat - Francisco Farriols Sarabia - a.k.a. "francisco3". He and his beautiful wife Lilianna met me in the lobby of Hotel Posado de Roger and we all three had a great instant connection. Francisco has a ranch in Mazatlan. My Spanish was much poorer than their English, but through laughter and gestures, we met at the language of Nature. Fantastic couple.
The Botanical Gardens south of Puerto Vallarta are stupendous. So many butterflies I didn't know where to point the camera. Shot a great deal of Odonates and Greg Lasley and others helped me key them. Cool to see my first Malachite. Great mud-puddling across the street. Watched hummingbirds from the deck at lunch.
Next day we headed north to the town of Sayulita - a sweet, little beach town thats...gone even more touristy in the two years since I'd been there. Brain-baking heat. Walked to the edge of town for butterflies and I watched a huge bead of sweat go down my finger and into my iPhone. It stopped. Kinda thought "Whatever.." Had oysters on the beach. Lots of beer. Roommate rebooted phone - Oh, that fixed it.
So glad to have returned to a place and made new memories.
iNat is it's own language: meeting others I only know through the website and the passion for what we all look at...does all the awkward pre-meeting stuff. Like a small band of...intimate explorers.

Posted on November 5, 2014 04:14 PM by robberfly robberfly

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)

Observer

robberfly

Date

November 4, 2012

Photos / Sounds

What

Human (Homo sapiens)

Observer

robberfly

Date

November 2012

Description

The first night of "Day of the Dead" festival. One of the best shots of my life...

Photos / Sounds

What

Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 27, 2014

Description

The heaviest rain I'd experienced in years fell down round the time I went for the best Al Pastor tacos on the planet. Up on a chair trying to get one of the geckos and this leviathan tried to get out of the deluge. Knew what it was in an instant.

Photos / Sounds

What

Pacific Leaftail (Phyllogomphoides pacificus)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 28, 2014

Description

This one had an amazing, scary tail...

Photos / Sounds

What

Collie's Squirrel (Sciurus colliaei)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 29, 2014

Description

Colima Tree Squirrel?
This was the biggest squirrel I've ever seen. I thought it was a Ring-tailed Cat. It was using it's tail to hang down to the giant tamarind pods, which with both being giant, can't really get scale here.

Photos / Sounds

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 29, 2014

Description

I've only observed males talking salt at the ocean's edge once before: Papilio eurymedon along the Mendocino Coast. Fantastic moment, crawling on the sand to get this shot. Second shot says it all..

Photos / Sounds

What

Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Photos / Sounds

What

Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Photos / Sounds

What

Merian's Orchid Bee (Eulaema meriana)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Beautiful. Wasn't sure if this was Bombus genus?

Photos / Sounds

What

Blue-collared Firetip (Mysoria amra)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Breath-taking creature. Looks like it's part of the Great Purple Hairstreak/Pixie complex of Blue/Black & Red...

Photos / Sounds

What

White-crescent Longtail (Codatractus alcaeus)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Photos / Sounds

What

Malachite (Siproeta stelenes)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Finally! My first sighting of the spectacular Malachite. A little worn but still a thrill. Canopy dweller, didn't come down much
from flowering tree. Actually shot down to it from lunch patio.

Photos / Sounds

What

Chalk-marked Skipper (Thespieus dalman)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Wins "Prettiest Skipper-of-the-Day"
Bound and determined to make some headway with this group today there.

Photos / Sounds

What

Golden-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes chrysogenys)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Posted the male the other day. This is the female.

Photos / Sounds

What

Silver Garden Orbweaver (Argiope argentata)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Coolest web I've ever seen...

Photos / Sounds

What

Neotropical Giant Katydids (Genus Stilpnochlora)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Wow. Size of my hand. On the way down to the river...

Photos / Sounds

What

Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 30, 2014

Description

Is it possible to take a bad picture of this creature?

Photos / Sounds

What

Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 31, 2014

Place

Sayulita (Google, OSM)

Description

Francisco heard this one before we saw it. Looked like a Crow and a Black Grossbeak had a kid together..

Photos / Sounds

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 31, 2014

Place

Sayulita (Google, OSM)

Description

The only thing that comes near this in Glassberg's Swift Guide is the "Yellow-spotted Swallowtail"
( Battus laodamus ) but that is not coming up in searches...
Only shot I got.

Photos / Sounds

What

Elf Butterfly (Microtia elva)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 31, 2014

Place

Sayulita (Google, OSM)

Description

Finally, one landed...

Photos / Sounds

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 31, 2014

Place

Sayulita (Google, OSM)

Description

robberfly's first Mexican robber fly...cool.

Photos / Sounds

What

Papaya (Carica papaya)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 31, 2014

Place

Sayulita (Google, OSM)

Description

I have tried so many new fruits with Julianna and Francisco: a whole new world of cuisine.

Photos / Sounds

What

Amberwings (Genus Perithemis)

Observer

robberfly

Date

October 31, 2014

Place

Sayulita (Google, OSM)

Description

Many darting in and out over the river where it met the sea. I love that even the Shadow is amber as well...

Photos / Sounds

What

Hibiscuses (Genus Hibiscus)

Observer

robberfly

Date

November 1, 2014

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