As seen from my terrace in Residencial Roca Verde . . .
Sunrise in the Hills of Atenas
Ceraunus Blue
This tiny little butterfly was new to me in a September 2022 sighting at Hotel Banana Azul in Caribbean Costa Rica, which I saw again there and in my garden in 2023, Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus! I liked it so much I chose one of my garden shots for the cover of my newest butterfly book, Pura Vida Butterflies, Second Edition released last month.
Of course I also have a Ceraunus Blue GALLERY with shots from all four sightings. Now here’s what I saw the other day in my garden, with two shots, even though not as good as my earlier photos :-) . . .
And what looks like a black/dark brown corner of the wing is actually a shadow of the leaf above him. :-)
That Strange Christmas Flower
This past Christmas I got a potted poinsettia for my terrace as usual, but the only one they had at the time I purchased it was the strange red with white flecks or variegations in the petals. :-)
More of my flowers in My Home Gardens GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
Flies or Fly-like Insects
That seem to be mating on a leaf in my garden. Just one more intriguing photo from nature! :-)
85+ funny insect photos in my More Insects CR GALLERY. Or for more similar to this, go to the sub-gallery Unidentified Other Insects.
¡Pura Vida!
Shadows
Sometimes people don’t see shadows . . . but I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny.
~David Hockney
¡Pura Vida!
More pix in My Home Gardens GALLERY.
Yigüirro
is the locally used Spanish name for the English-named Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi), the National Bird of Costa Rica, supposedly because the indigenous people believed that its beautiful songs in April brought the beginning of rainy season in May. It is mostly a Central American bird, found from South Texas to Columbia in South America. And yes! Their songs in April are beautiful! They sing their hearts out almost constantly until it starts raining, then they stop. :-)
See many more photos in my Clay-colored Thrush GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
Cerulean Dancer Damselfly
The Cerulean Dancer Damselfly (Argia anceps), male here, is one of dozens of blue and black damselflies with this one most often confused with the Azure Dancer and the Thorn-tipped Dancer (says the book), but because of the shade of blue, the size and the wing color I am declaring this a Cerulean Dancer! :-) But to be honest, with both damsel and dragonflies, I am seldom 100% certain of the identification and I use a Costa Rica specific field guide with nearly 300 species of damselflies and dragonflies included with photos! You would think that makes it easy, but not for me! The many similarities between species makes identification a challenge for many! This one was photographed on the railing of my terrace in Atenas, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica.
See my Dragonflies & Damselflies GALLERY with 50+ species! And many are unidentified! :-)
¡Pura Vida!
Chachalacas Stop By!
The full name of this one is Gray-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) with the only other one named “Plain Chachalaca” and it’s found only in Guanacaste (dryer NW Costa Rica). This one is a regular “chicken-sized” bird living in my neighborhood, though like other birds, I’ve been seeing fewer for a while. They always come in groups or families and “chatter” a lot, thus Ticos sometimes jokingly call a person who talks a lot “a Chachalaca!” :-)
Here’s three shots of them moving between my trees and you can see more photos in my Gray-headed Chachalaca GALLERY. I see them in many parts of Costa Rica and they are indigenous to Central America.
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Another interesting butterfly not often seen, the Eastern Tailed-Blue, Cupido comyntas, in my garden. I have seen him once before in my garden as shown in my Eastern Tailed-Blue GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
Plain Longtail with Orange Smudges?
I continue to find what appear to be “new” species for me, though this one is pretty much identical to the “Plain Longtail” with the exception of a slightly shorter tail (he could have broken off the tip as he did the 2nd tail) and the “orange smudges” on the wings, large on top and smaller on bottom or side view. I’ll label this the Plain Longtail, Urbanus simplicius and let one of the coordinators at butterfliesandmoths correct me if they believe otherwise. These little detailed differences continue to be an ID challenge for me! 🙂 Here’s 2 shots, one side view & one top view . . .