Butterflies in Yelapa

On my first trip to Yelapa, last February, I was enchanted by giant, white butterflies that flitted through the jungle, never stopping long enough for me to capture a photograph. I wasn't disappointed as there were so many other things to shoot in that remote, picturesque village that hugs the coast of Mexico south of Puerto Vallarta. Most exciting were two brand-new bird species for me: the yellow-fronted parakeet and the golden-cheeked woodpecker.

However, on my recent return to Yelapa, right after Christmas, I didn't encounter a single noteworthy bird. So instead, I focused my lens on the exotic butterflies, which seemed to have multiplied in numbers exponentially from my last trip. Alas, this time, those enormous white ones were nowhere to be seen.