I’m in Panama at the moment and wandering down to the insectaries to take photos whenever I can. We collected some H. ismenius on pipeline road and have them in the cage – the males are incredibly active and persistently court this poor female. The female has started laying eggs on P. quadrangularis and P. ambigua.

A mating pair of Heliconius ismenius.  Note the polymorphism in the hindwing – the female has a black band across the centre of the hindwing that is not present in the male.  I’m not really sure whether this represents hybridisation between two geographic forms or a stable polymorphism.  The female was collected already mated from the field and remated in the insectary.

A Heliconius erato erato female, feeding on hotlips (Cephaelis tomentosa)

Intact pollen tetrads collected from Heliconius sara females during pre-roosting interactions in La Selva field station, Costa Rica.

Digested pollen grains collected from Heliconius sara females at nocturnal roosting sites in La Selva field station, Costa Rica. This is the fist report on nocturnal pollen feeding. Compare to the next picture where the pollen tetrads look full and not “deflated”.

Heliconius erato petiverana mating at roost site in Gamboa, Panama. Roosting sites are not commonly known as mating sites. In this case we found the couple already mated perching at a roost site.

Heliconius charithonia pupal mating behaviour observed by Andrei Sourakov.  This is a little while after the previous photo and the female has now emerged and is extending her wings.  See full description here

Heliconius charithonia pupal mating behaviour observed by Andrei Sourakov.  Here you can see that one male (left) has inserted his abdomen into the female pupa (centre).  Another male is also perched on the pupa (right). See full description here

Heliconius melpomene rosina mating with Heliconius melpomene melpomene
Photo taken in insectary in Gamboa, Panama

Heliconius melpomene rosina feeding on hotlips, Psychotria spp.
Photo taken in insectary in Gamboa, Panama