At the butterfly festival we were taken in vans to several private homes and gardens. One of yards did have a monkeypod tree and a coma tree in bloom. We got reports of the red-bordered pixie being seen and we were very fortunate to find this flying smiling face! It stays out of dierct sunlight and prefers shade.We found this one hanging upside down on a leave amidst the lower part of the coma tree.The Red-bordered Pixie avoids the hot sun by hiding in the leaves or on the trunks and branches of trees and bushes.
This small insect is one of the most colorful butterflies in the American tropics. The Red-bordered Pixie is sometimes called the Mexican Pixie because it crosses the border into Texas from Mexico. Their range is from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas south to Costa Rica.
