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While at Villa Lapas in Tarcoles last month, I got only one butterfly with a decent photo and it is another semi-unusual or not seen much here butterfly, though on butterfliesandmoths it seems to be quite common in the Eastern USA. It is the Brazilian Skipper, Calpodes ethlius (link to my gallery) and this was my second time to see one. Here’s just one photo . . .
¡Pura Vida!
This “uncommon” Central American Hummingbird also has another common name now (in one book) of “Salvin’s Emerald” and the scientific name with either is “Cynanthus canivetii” and you can read more about them on eBird. This is my third time to see this species, all in my garden, and it was difficult to ID all three times! 🙂 See all my other shots in Canivet’s Emerald Gallery. There you will see the big difference in male and female. This one I’m featuring today is a female that I shot in my garden two weeks ago. Yes, I’m that far ahead on my blog posts thanks to that little two-night trip and I hope to stay somewhat ahead! 🙂 And oh yes, my main hummingbird continues to be the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and I will share another photo of him soon I hope.
¡Pura Vida!
This is my second time to see the Cyptic Remella, Ramella vopiscus (my gallery link) and only 3 of us have reported this species on butterfliesandmoths. My other sighting was on the Caribbean Coast at Hotel Banana Azul. I continue to be amazed at the huge number of butterfly species here in Costa Rica and my collection continues to grow. Here’s two shots of this Remella . . .
See more in My Home Garden GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
The Petrea volubilis , Machiguá or Flor de Santa Lucía (Wikipedia link) is a tropical evergreen vine found in Mexico and Central America. And it is just one more of many exoctic flowers I’ve discovered on my walks to town, popping up in some neighbor’s garden! Some, like this, take a bit of searching on the internet to identify, but rewarding to do so. Then I ask my gardener for one and he says, “What!?” 🙂
This tropical vine in the verbena family is further described by the North Carolina Extension Gardener. And interestingly by the Singapore National Parks. They also use the common names of: Sandpaper Vine, Queen’s Wreath, and Purple Wreath. Fun to see, but most of these exoctics I never get to grow. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
The bud of this particular heliconia is almost like a different flower from the fully opened Heliconia and it is one of my favorite. Plus the edge of a Plumbago behind it just adds a hint of contrast to accentuate the brilliant colors.
¡Pura Vida!
And notice that one of the computer-generated “Related” blog posts featured below has the fully bloomed Heliconia, also with a Plumbago contrasting it! 🙂 Or see My Garden Gallery photos.
¡Pura Vida!
Though I have another week+ of blog post photos already scheduled, I have now also got my “Trip Gallery” completed for the two-night visit to Villa Lapas Hotel (hotel link) in Tarcoles and it was a productive trip! 🙂 You can see all the photos from that visit last week by clicking the first page of the gallery below or go to this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2024-March-11-13-Villa-Lapas-Tarcoles-Carara-NP
And the FYI about why I re-visited this older local hotel in Tarcoles now (2015 was my other time) is that next year (2025, Q4) Villa Lapas (hotel link) will become a Marriott “Signature” hotel, whatever that means, and of course the prices will increase significantly as they modernize the very old rooms and restaurant. So it will be interesting to see what happens! 🙂 It is adjacent to Carara National Park and across the highway from Tarcoles Village with the Rio Tarcoles Boat Tours, so a lot to do there for the nature lover like me, including on their own significant chunk of forest on the hotel grounds. I recommend it if you can put up with older facilities, often needing maintenance. Lots of nature there! See the gallery! 🙂
But ALSO NOTE: even though I’m glad I revisited Villa Lapas, my favorite hotel in the area is still Macaw Lodge on top of the mountain above Villa Lapas and Carara Park for much more nature on the lodge grounds! I encourage you to try Macaw Lodge (lodge link) even though the drive up the mountain, partly on a gravel road, is much more difficult. It is worth it!
¡Pura Vida!
The two most numerous wildlife at Villa Lapas this first afternoon in my camera were iguanas and dragonflies and I decided to share photos of 2 of the many dragonflies on the water lily pond in front of their colonial chapel in the jungle village across from my room. I left my dragonflies book at home, so no IDs on these yet! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
And for more dragonfly photos, see my Dragonflies & Damselflies Gallery.
In the morning I do their “Early Bird Walk” before breakfast and their “Sky Way Tour” after breakfast. Then tomorrow night I do their “Night Walk” and hope for a good frog photo! So I should know tomorrow if I like the “new” Villa Lapas (changed a lot in 9 years). The afternoons are too hot & humid here (closer to coast) to do much of anything! Finally, Wednesday morning I’ve decided I will do their “Jungle River Wagon Tour” to get the whole picture of this changing resort and then I will go home after that and give you my final evaluation later. 🙂
An old regular is back! And in the next two months there will begin to be an increase in the number of butterflies with May-October the peak months for me or at least in my Atenas garden, roughly the same time as the rainy season. This Cloudless Sulphur, Phoebis sennae, is fairly common throughout the southern half of the USA down throughout Central America and the Caribbean Islands. One photo from my garden the other day:
See more in my Clouded Sulphur Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
And be sure to tune in tomorrow! I plan to tell you about my 3-day, 2-night adventure planned for Monday less than an hour from Atenas. One can have adventures close to home! 🙂