My “Wake Up TV” Interview

Mauro Protti, the producer and videographer of a 30 minute weekly TV show for a Costa Rica TV station and it’s own YouTube channel lives across the street from me right now. And the episode that was on local TV yesterday titled: “Wake Up TV Atenas, Costa Rica” includes about 10+ minutes of an interview he did of me Monday on my terrace in English with both Spanish and English subtitles that have a lot of computer misspelled words from a funny-talking old man, but the footage he made of Atenas shown after my interview is really good with shots of Central Park, parades, the central church, etc.

The first 5 minutes are a presentation about The Retreat, a very upscale resort in Atenas, then the interview of me, the videos of many activities and parts of Atenas followed by a video of the more affordable Hotel Colinas del Sol just three blocks from my house and they are the ones that suggested he interview me when he filmed there. 🙂 Finally an interview of someone here who plays music to plants that I did not understand, but you might find interesting. Of course everything is in Spanish except me. And what I say is answering his questions. He kind of focused on Butterflies because of my two new books of butterfly photos that he has a few quick camera scans of. I think I sound kind of strange, but it is what it is. Many people here are amazed that I spend my time photographing nature rather than watching TV or sitting in my rocking chair, so maybe I’m an oddity they are showing to locals. 🙂 Pura vida for me! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

Charlie Doggett being interviewed by Mauro Protti for TV video. This is a still from the video and I evidently just said “was for” which is translation of “fue para.” 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

Banded Tigerwing

Maquenque is just the 4th place I’ve seen this Banded Tigerwing, Aeria eurimedia (my gallery link) and all four locations were on the Caribbean Slope of Costa Rica, with the other 3 right on the coast at Tortuguero, Cahuita and Gandoca-Manzanilla. A beautiful butterfly that seems to always give me opportunity for both top view and side view photos. 🙂 That’s the two views that “identifiers” want. 🙂

Banded Tigerwing, Maquenque Eco Lodge & Reserve, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica
Banded Tigerwing, Maquenque Eco Lodge & Reserve, Boca Tapada, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Maquenque Eco Lodge & Reserve

Rainforest Experience

Tigers in a Meadow of Flowers

Not only is Maquenque up to 70 Treehouse Cabins (THE TREEHOUSE LODGE IN COSTA RICA!), but they continue adding wildness and nature to various corners of their deep forest. One of the additions I discovered this time is a corner of their farm alongside one of the smaller lagoons has been turned into a meadow of flowers! Not only the natural wild flowers, but they have planted more, like Zinnias, Daisies, Cuban Buttercups, Heliconia’s, and more that I haven’t identified. 🙂 And within it I photographed 15+ species of butterflies with the dominant ones being an assortment of “Tigers” or about 4 species of Genus Mechanitis (Tigerwings) and maybe a Tiger Mimic-Queen. I’m having trouble separating and identifying all the tigers! 🙂 Here’s two shots (side view & top view) of what may or may not be the same species in the “Flower Meadow,” followed by a gallery of 4 shots of the flowers in the meadow . . .

Tigerwing Butterfly, Genus Mechanitis, Maquenque Lodge, Costa Rica
Tigerwing Butterfly, Genus Mechanitis, Maquenque Lodge, Costa Rica
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Maquenque Lodge Tonight

Today I will travel for about 4 hours to one of my favorite lodges and best birding place, Maquenque Eco Lodge (their link) near the Nicaragua border in Boca Tapada, San Carlos Canton, Alajuela Province, almost directly north of where I live in the center of the country. It will be my 6th trip there and 3rd time to celebrate my birthday there, which is July 4 and this year number 86! 🙂

3 years ago I planted an Avocado Tree there to help the endangered Green Macaws at Maquenque.

I may or may not do a post tonight from there, but otherwise a daily post from Maquenque reporting on my nature finds there for the next 5 days and as always a few more days after a trip. This will be my 6th time at Maquenque with, of course, lots of photos and a “Trip Gallery” from every visit there . . .

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Mexican Fritillary

There are so many orange with black trim butterflies and most of them are distinctly different, as is this Mexican Fritillary, Euptoieta hegesia (my gallery link).

Mexican Fritillary, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Pale-banded Crescent

In my gallery I have 9 different species of Crescents and this one has been mostly seen here in Atenas. See my GALLERY: Pale-banded Crescent, Anthanassa tulcis (linked). Here’s three different views in my garden this June and the damaged wings you may have noticed on other butterfly photos I’ve shared this year. It is the wind! Though not all the time like January, it is blowing just as hard here in June, which is not normal! I believe it is a part of the human-caused climate change. Also note that this one is on one of my few Milkweed Flowers, which is also attracting other species, so I want to find another sunny spot for more.

Pale banded Crescent, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

And two more different view photos . . .

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Mimosa Yellow

Mimosa Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Above is a crisper, traditional shot while below is another “soft look” shot as with the feature photo . . .

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Juno Silverspot

Earlier this month I was seeing a lot of different butterflies but it has turned windy again and not many can handle that. This is one of my favorites . . . Juno Silverspot (my gallery link).

Juno Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Juno Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Barred Yellow

June has become the usual big butterfly month in my gardens and here is another nice one, the Barred Yellow (my gallery link) . . .

Barred Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Barred Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

South American Cloudless Sulphur

I’m the #1 observer of this species in Costa Rica’s iNaturalist and earlier I had it lumped with the North American Cloudless Sulphur, but someone decided that we are a different subspecies down here and added the “South American” identifier to the common name in both English & Spanish. Today I had 51 photos in my South American Cloudless Sulphur Gallery. (linked) Phoebis sennae.

South American Cloudless Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!