There are a lot of odd looking butterflies with elongated wings, what are they?
The species list for the North Wing includes 7 species from the genus Heliconius. Heliconius is a tropical genus (a group of closely related species) native to the tropics, of the 15 species in the genus, 13 are found in Costa Rica. They are easily distinguished by their distinctive wing shape, which looks somewhat elongated. When compared to a large loping Owl Butterfly, a “Long-wing” (as they are called), looks like a hot rod. Accordingly they are very active compared to many other species of butterfly. Increased activity coupled with the bright and colorful markings make for an amazing sight! They are also extremely long lived for butterflies, some individuals live up to 9 months in the wild. The Long-wings are able to extend their life-span by consuming pollen.
