Category: Garden

Both my gardens and ones I visit

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Eastern Tailed-Blue

Not real common, though I’ve seen at least 3 other times in my garden, the Eastern Tailed-Blue, Cupido comyntas (linked to my gallery) has before been almost totally blue on top with less brown than this one, but with research, I’m confident that this set of photos is properly identified, even though Ceraunus Blue has more brown like this, it has a totally different set of black dots. Plus one article says that females are more brown, so maybe this is a female! 🙂 And all photos are of the same individual. Plus, interestingly, every time I’ve seen this species, it has been in grasses and never yet on a flower. 🙂 Here’s 3 photos . . .

Eastern Tailed-Blue, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Parrot’s Beak

The Parrot’s Beak – Heliconia psittacorum is one of several subspecies of this one family of the many Heliconias! It is small and adds a delicate touch to any garden. Plus it is purely tropical and I like it! 🙂

Parrot’s Beak Heliconia, Atenas, Costa Rica

For more flower photos see my Flora & Forest galleries.

¡Pura Vida!

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Hermes Satyr

This has been one of the most common butterflies in my garden and maybe they are starting to return early! 🙂 For at least two years I called it a Carolina Satyr, which most sources say appears only in the Eastern U.S. while from Mexico south the almost identical butterfly is the Hermes Satyr and I have yet to learn the difference in the two, other than their locale. I expect to see a lot more in the coming months. See more of my photos of this beautiful work of “brown art” in my Gallery Hermes Satyr.

Hermes Satyr, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Visitor from Baltimore – The Oriole!

Possibly a migrant, this Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula (linked to eBird) was in and out of several trees in my garden Sunday. We do have some resident Baltimore Orioles here, just like some of us humans from up north! 🙂 But this time of year they are likely to be migrants. And I’m still amazed at how far birds fly!

Baltimore Oriole, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See also my Baltimore Oriole Gallery for more photos of this northerner made in many places all over Costa Rica! And you might also be interested in some of his relatives who are also down here . . .

  • Black-cowled Oriole (Gallery)
  • Orchard Oriole (Gallery)
  • And there are 3 other species of Orioles in Costa Rica that I have no photos of. 🙂 They are: Streak-backed Oriole, Spot-breasted Oriole, and Yellow-tailed Oriole. Orioles are in a bigger family that includes Blackbirds.

¡Pura Vida!

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Rare “Pale Sailor” Butterfly

This sailor (one of several “sailor” species) has been seen in my garden before and one other place in Atenas (8th Ave) plus my last previous sighting was in Cahuita National Park in Caribe Sur last October. See all my photos of this species in its own gallery: Pale Sailor, Dynamine agacles core. And yes, it seems to be a little rare with only one other person posting on butterfliesandmoths dot org and only 6 people on iNaturalist Costa Rica. So not an everyday butterfly! 🙂

Here’s three shots of one last Saturday in my garden . . .

Pale Sailor, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Tropical Greenstreak

This one is one of about 30 different green-colored Hairstreak butterflies in my main book, but has several characteristics that make him different from the others. And yes, I had one about a month ago, but since there are not a lot of butterflies now (and even fewer birds), I’m sharing this find in my garden the other day. I’ve had this one several times over the last year, as shown in the GALLERY Tropical Greenstreak, Cyanophrys herodtus.

Tropical Greenstreak, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Mango Tree Flowers

In a neighbor’s garden, snapped with my telephoto lens from my own driveway. In a tropical place like Costa Rica I seem to find something new and wonderful to photograph every few days, even while standing in my own garden! 🙂 I love it here!

Mango Tree Flower, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Mango, Mangifera indica (linked to a Wikipedia article)

Or perhaps you would enjoy my “Trees” GALLERY which I just noticed has had 3,000 views since February 2022, in just 2 years! Seems that someone else likes trees too! 🙂

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson

¡Pura Vida!

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Tiny Damselfly . . .

. . . maybe in the genus Argia (says iNaturalist’s computer), though I cannot find a match in the book Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica nor online in iNaturalist. None seem to have those bright (yellow-gold) spots on wings nor the orangey body color, so I am again stumped on an ID. 🙂 Here’s two different-looking photos of the same individual.

Unidentified Damselfly, maybe Argia genus, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Unidentified Damselfly, maybe Argia genus, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See my Costa Rica Dragonflies & Damselflies GALLERY for many other species (50+) I’ve collected in Costa Rica. Another amazing category of wildlife in Costa Rica!

¡Pura Vida!

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Owl-Butterfly at Hummingbird Feeder

Wednesday morning just before 6 am I went out on the terrace to open the gate for my maid an saw this unusual sight, a Pale or Yellow-fronted Owl-Butterfly, Caligo telamonius (linked to my gallery) eating from the Hummingbird feeder. Got my camera and a few shots before he flew away! 🙂 The sun was coming up behind some clouds, so not a lot of light, thus the photo below with fast shutter speed in the dim light is not very sharp and has a glare, while the feature photo at top of post was made with the flash turned on and I think it’s a better photo. I don’t remember ever seeing a butterfly at a hummingbird feeder before, but then there are a lot of things I don’t remember! 🙂

Pale or Yellow-fronted Owl-Butterfly, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Happy Valentines Day!

From my garden to you with nature’s red, heart-shaped flower, the Anthurium, Anthurium andraeanum (linked to Wikipedia). It is native to Central and South America and has many common names in English such as anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, pigtail plant, and laceleaf. They bloom year-around in my garden and in a pot on my terrace where these photos were made.

Anthurium, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Anthurium, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Happy Valentines Day!