Julia Heliconian

At the Lapas Hotel in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, we encountered our first Julia Heliconian. The scientific name is Dryas iulia (apparently often misspelled as Dryas julia—the letters j and i are often interchangeable in Latin). This wonderful butterfly is found from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida. They often stray north to eastern Nebraska. Heliconians are said to be avoided by birds. Orange butterflies are usually distasteful. This species is often kept in butterfly zoos, since the insect is long-lived and active throughout the day (Wikipedia).