Category: Flowers

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Caribe Sur Photo Gallery Ready

I’m still planning on some more posts from this first week of October trip, but you can see all of my acceptable photos in the trip gallery by clicking this linked title or the image of first page below. 2024 October 1-6, Hotel Banana Azul, Caribe Sur

First page of my 2024 Caribe Sur Photo Gallery, CLICK image to go to the gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

And to learn more about Hotel Banana Azul, click that name link! Note that the header photo on their web page was made from “my room,” the one I get on each visit, called “The Howler Suite.” 🙂

There are no big chain hotels or resorts on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica (like the Pacific side). All are small, locally-owned, very friendly and helpful people (muy amable), with simplicity and tranquility. The Caribbean side is not for everyone, but I like it; both the laid back Jamaican atmosphere of the south or the Amazon Jungle atmosphere of the north Caribbean at Tortuguero National Park. The south has Cahuita National Park and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, making the south also a great place for nature photographers in a different way than Tortuguero where you are mostly on the water. I encourage my fellow expats living in Costa Rica to give this side a try as something different from the Pacific Coast or the mountains. I love every area of Costa Rica because each is different! That is just the way I am! 🙂

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Fiery Skipper

This is probably one you have seen, found in most of the Eastern and Southern U.S. all the way south to Argentina, the Fiery Skipper,  Hylephila phyleus (my gallery link). Like many butterflies, the top and folded wings views are different and distinct. Here’s a shot from the Caribe of both views, and of course the one with a bee in it made me smile! 🙂

Fiery Skipper, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Fiery Skipper, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Caribe’s Polydamas Swallowtail

This swallowtail is the species of swallowtails that I see most often in my garden – and I still like it! 🙂 You can see the many that I’ve photographed in my Polydamas Swallowtail Gallery (linked). The scientific name is Battus polydamas and even though most of the other swallowtails are more colorful, he/she is striking! (Male & female are basically identical). Here’s a front view and a side view and you can see several top views in the above-linked gallery which is all black with a yellow dot row. This is my first one to photograph outside my garden. He is found from South Texas and Florida south to Argentina.

Polydamas Swallowtail, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limó, Costa Rica
Polydamas Swallowtail, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limó, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Africanized Honeybee

The Africanized Honeybee, Apis mellifera (Wikipedia article link), was introduced from East Africa into Brazil and it migrated north throughout Central American and into Texas. I’m pretty sure of this ID and that is what Google Lens called it. Photographed on a wildflower along the beach road, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica.

Africanized Honey Bee, Apis mellifera, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

All of the bees I’ve photographed in Costa Rica are in a general Bees Gallery, with several species and most unidentified so far. 🙂 They were photographed before Google Lens! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Julia Heliconian in Caribe

Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

This is one of my favorite butterfly species and I keep finding them almost everywhere I go in Costa Rica. See more of my photos of this beauty in my gallery: Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia.

¡Pura Vida!

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Crimson Patch

One of those many colorful and beautiful butterflies in Costa Rica is the Crimson Patch, Chlosyne janais (linked to my gallery). It is found from Colombia north through Central America and Mexico to South Texas. Here’s two views of one on the beach road near Hotel Banana Azul last week . . .

Crimson Patch, Chlosyne janais, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica
Crimson Patch, Chlosyne janais, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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New Bird & Butterfly on Final Day

I still haven’t processed all my photos from today and will get a few more in the morning before I leave, but I’m pleased to get a different bird and butterfly from all the other days here . . .

Cocoa Woodcreeper, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica
Zebra-striped Hairstreak, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica

And one of many shots of sunrise this morning that I haven’t all processed, but will eventually share more, including the throng of local people out at sunrise on Saturday morning! 🙂

Continue reading “New Bird & Butterfly on Final Day”
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Wild Hummingbirds on Wild Flowers

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird feeding on a Red Button Ginger Flower (Costus woodsonii) that grows wild only in Costa Rica, Panama & Colombia! 🙂

Because of some pains that make walking difficult, I’m limiting myself to short walks down the beach road (one lane, dirt) and of course the hotel gardens instead of longer hikes in the nearby national park and separate wildlife refuge. I’m up to 15 species of birds now, just right here! And I don’t know how many butterflies because I haven’t processed those photos from today, but know that I got some new ones again! One of the beach road joys is watching wild hummingbirds – they are all wild, including those in my garden at home! 🙂 And like at home, the Rufous-tailed seems to be the dominant hummingbird here too! 🙂 Here’s just two shots for now and more will be in the trip gallery later.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird feeding on a Red Button Ginger Flower (Costus woodsonii) that grows wild only in Costa Rica, Panama & Colombia! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Highest Point in Atenas

Walter Ramírez and his 97 year old Great Aunt.

Two days ago Walter took me and another customer/friend to see the “Real” Costa Rica near the highest point in Atenas Canton where a high percentage of the people are his coffee-farming relatives, showing us his mountain-top lot with the view seen in the feature photo, along with meeting some of his relatives and going to the Atenas Highest Point Mirador, called “Piedra La Zopilota,” because the rocky outcropping of the mountain top is where vultures hang out and raise their children. 🙂 It is a steep mountain gravel road that required his 4-wheel drive vehicle to get there. I made a lot of neat photos of the gorgeous scenery, wildlife, lunch at a relative’s restaurant, and the three of us adventurers which you can see in the Trip Gallery: 2024 September 26 – Highest Point in Atenas. Check out these “real” Costa Rica coffee farming hills! It might even make you want to visit or move here yourself! 🙂

Vista from Walter’s mountain-top lot!

You might also be interested in these links . . .

¡Pura Vida!

Note: Walter is my best friend in Costa Rica, also my driver, translator, healthcare assistant at most doctor appointments, and thus sometimes substitute son! There are multiple pix of him in the above linked Gallery and a few of me and Julia, his other friend on this day trip. 🙂

Postscript: Architect’s Drawings of the future mirador

Facebook page with several images like this . . .

Read more: Highest Point in Atenas
Architect’s drawing of future Mirador Piedra La Zopilota.

¡Pura Vida!

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Bordered Patch

One of the many “Patches” and “Crescents” that I love, the Bordered Patch, Chlosyne lacinia (my gallery link) is found from Argentina to much of the western portion of the U.S.A. They can vary in colors from a rich gold or yellow through all the oranges to a bright red along with the black & white. You can see some of the variations on butterfliesandmoths and just a few in my linked gallery above. Another Costa Rica treat! 🙂

Bordered Patch, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!