COLOMBO — Fireflies, with their bioluminescent rears, are fascinating species that appeal to people’s imaginations, especially those of children. In Sri Lanka, the first systematic study of fireflies was carried…
Colorful tiger beetle in Java. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were…
Emerging cicada in Java. Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were taken…
Katydid nymph in West Papua, on the island of New Guinea. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, August 2010. This red, magenta, orange, and yellow katydid nymph was seen in the…
A beautiful tiger longwing butterfly (Heliconius hecale) in Tayrona National Park in Colombia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2010. First described in 1776, the species is found from Central America…
Seekor capung yang jenisnya tidak teridentifikasi di Kalimantan. Foto oleh Janie Dubman. Pasir Panjang, Kalimantan - Seandainya bukan harta karun hutan bukanlah apa-apa. Ini hanya terlihat jelas ketika di pagi…
The stunning blue and turquoise Eupholus bennetti weevil in West Papua (Indonesia) on the island of New Guinea. Photo taken last week by Rhett A. Butler. This beetle's coloration serves…
Unidentified red-eyed fly on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. If you have any information on this species please contact me. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Often despised at best…
An unidentified species of dragonfly in Borneo. Photo by Janie Dubman. PASIR PANJANG, Borneo – A forest is nothing if not a treasure trove. At no time is this as…
A bumble bee ponders in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Research over the last few years has overturned the idea that insects are instinctual automatons. Instead researchers are uncovering…
Unidentified bee approaching an unidentified bird of paradise flower. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. At mongabay.com we love to take photos. However, sometimes it proves difficult to decipher what species…
A Hamadryas butterfly in Honduras, 2004. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler These butterflies are also known as Cracker butterflies, because males make a cracking noise to attract females. To see…
In the rainforests of Suriname, dozens of not-yet-identified wasps crowd a leaf. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. To see more photos of insects from Suriname: Suriname Invertebrates.
This insect hit me directly in the eye as I was hiking in the Darien region of Colombia, near Spazurro on the border with Panama. I believe it is Anisocelis…
Photographed in the jungles of Colombia, this neon green caterpillar will one day turn into an Automeris moth. While beautiful, its spines are actually venomous. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler,…
Gorgeous red grasshawk (dragonfly) near Nyaru Menteng, Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2009. Red Grasshawk (Neurothemis fluctuans) in Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2006. Red…
Blue-eyed butterfly (species unknown) in North Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2009.
Blue transparent (Ithomia pellucida). The Blue transparent (Ithomia pellucida) in the Colombian Amazon outside of Leticia. More pictures of butterflies and moths in Colombia.
This is an insect nymph I spotted in Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar. I have no idea what it is. The photo doesn't do it justice: the colors were incredible.
Costa Rica Over the past couple of years I have unintentionally encountered an incredible diversity of leafhoppers, small insects that most people probably don't notice despite their incredible coloration. Beyond…
Owl butterfly (Caligo idomeneus) The Owl butterfly (Caligo idomeneus) is a large tropical butterfly characterized by eye-spots which are meant to startle or confuse predators, providing an opportunity for escape.…
I have no idea of the identity of this species of moth, but it made an impression when I came across it in Las Cruces, Costa Rica in 2008. More…
