Category: Garden

Both my gardens and ones I visit

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Melwhite on Milkweed

Is it a contrast or a harmony of colors? Either way, I like these photos of the Common Melwhite (my gallery link) on the Tropical Milkweed flowers (NaturalistaCR link).

Common Melwhite butterfly on a Tropical Milkweed flower, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

How do I get that mottled green background? (Someone asked.) Simply by using my 600mm lens from a distance of 6 feet or more. The long lens automatically puts my focus point in focus and everything else blurry. In this case, my “jungle-like” garden is mostly greens with only occasional flowers, thus the mottled green background. When I shoot up, with the sky as background (often with birds), the background can be anything from bright blue to gray to white, depending on the weather, and more rarely golds to oranges. I’ve tried a close-up lens for both flowers and insects and it just doesn’t work for me (for multiple reasons). 🙂

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Mexican Fritillary

This colorful orange butterfly lives throughout Mexico and Central America, the West Indies and a few strays along the Southwestern U.S. border. See more photos in my gallery: Mexican Fritillary (linked). A bit of interesting indigenous history that includes this butterfly from Google Search:

The “Flower World” (Xochitl): In early Classic Teotihuacan and Postclassic Aztec culture, orange butterflies symbolized fire, rebirth, and a floral spiritual paradise. [1, 2] ~Google (Click the two footnote numbers for more information from their sources.)

Mexican Fritillary, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Blue-black Grassquit

Another seed-eating bird found only in Central & South America, the Blue-black Grassquit (my gallery link) with the one above on a little bush or plant in the cow pasture across the street from me. This male was jumping straight up in the air from this bush about two feet or 60 centimeters as a courtship display, which I’m yet to catch an action shot of! 🙂 See more from there and from 6 other Costa Rica locations in my above-linked gallery. And/or read more about them and see their distribution map on eBird and a very good article on Wikipedia.

Most often seen in the grasses of a meadow or cow pasture as above, eating seeds, Blue-black Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Feigeria buteo Moth

A new one this week, in the family of Erebid Moths (my gallery link), similar to the Black Witch Moth I see a lot of here. The Feigeria buteo (my gallery link). It’s always nice to find a new species for my collections! 🙂

Feigeria buteo Moth, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Banded Peacock

Still one of my most-seen butterflies that also continues to appeal to me, the Banded Peacock Butterfly (my gallery link), found all over Costa Rica as well as the rest of Central America, Mexico and the southern edges of Texas.

Banded Peacock, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Ruby-spotted Swallowtail

The Ruby-spotted Swallowtail (my gallery link) is found from Southern Texas south to Argentina and yes, it reminds me of several Cattlehearts, especially the Pink-spotted, but this is in a different subfamily from Cattlehearts. This is my second observation to not have white spots on the top of the forward wings, which is normal even if in a minority as you can see in my gallery or other online butterfly sites. But, you will see from the only partial side view this one ever gave me that he does have white spots on the underneath side of all wings. 🙂 Another exception in nature and I think that the all black top makes for a handsome butterfly!

A semi-side view shows white spots on the underneath side of both forward and hind wings.
Ruby-spotted Swallowtail, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Milkweed Flowers

Have you noticed how many of my butterfly shots are on the Milkweeds now? 🙂 It is second only to Porterweed attracting the larger butterflies like this and the only flower Monarchs will come to. Tiny butterflies prefer tiny flowers. 🙂 I can’t believe that this is my first year to plant Milkweed! A great butterfly attractor! I recommend it!

Thank You! — For Reading My Blog!

JetPack just informed me that during August 2026 my blog & website had Nine Thousand Views! 9,000! I don’t know who all of you are, but thank you for reading and enjoying Costa Rica’s nature with me! ~Charlie

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Monarch Caterpillars

Now I have Monarch Caterpillars on one group of Milkweeds and I expect them to eat most of the leaves like the Queen Caterpillars did a month ago and that milkweed grew right back. So whoopee! More Monarchs! 🙂 And I post my caterpillar shots in the same gallery with their butterfly, so see these and one more caterpillar from San Gerardo de Dota in my gallery Monarch!

Monarch Caterpillar, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Large Orange Sulphur that’s not Orange!

So many of the butterflies have colors included in their names and this one is not the only one that doesn’t stick to its colors. 🙂 I’ve seen the Large Orange Sulphur (my gallery link) two or three other times, including one last month that was orange or really an orange-yellow. 🙂 But you have to admit that the name sounds better than calling it a “Large Dirty White Sulphur!” 🙂

Large Orange Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Monarch

The Milkweeds I planted finally attracted a Monarch, but only this one on one day, while the Milkweeds are being dominated by a “flight” or “kaleidoscope” of Banded Peacocks. 🙂 I made a lot of photos with 9 shown in the gallery, Monarch (linked), along with many other Monarchs from other locations in Costa Rica with I think the best being the ones made at Maquenque Lodge this past July. Just two shots from my garden in this blog post.

Monarch, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!