Category: Nature

My profession is to always find God in nature.

– Henry David Thoreau

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Nature & Life . . .

Nature photography is a good hobby, but it was never a money-maker, not in Tennessee when I tried for a few years there (I always spent more on it than I ever made!) – nor the brief time I tried here. But the joy of creating has never been lost. And though I don’t sell greeting cards anymore, some are still at Hotel Colinas del Sol as a contribution to a sometimes struggling local business there. Go help them out! 🙂

But anyway, a photo of a new butterfly the other day had me going back and looking at that solid green background more than once, wanting to make a greeting card with it. And the butterfly with his red antennae seems to be laser focused on something. So here it is! Created just for you dear blog reader! And who knows, I may do it again! 🙂 It’s fun!

An Orion Butterfly seems to be focused on life in Atenas, Costa Rica.

“Adopt the pace of nature.

Her secret is patience.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

¡Pura Vida!

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Dark Calephelis Butterfly

This Dark Calephelis, Calephelis velutina (linked to my gallery) seems to be fairly rare, with this being my third sighting and not very many have been submitted to iNaturalist CR or butterfliesandmoths.org. This one was in my garden while the last one was in the neighborhood on Calle Nueva. And my first sighting was in Cartago Province at Guayabo National Monument. Here’s two different views of this Metalmark Family butterfly species from Monday in my garden . . .

Dark Calephelis, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Dark Calephelis, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Living for the Unremarkable Moments

My life has been cram-packed with “remarkable moments” and experiences, both good and bad. One of the many reasons for moving to Costa Rica was to slow down with nature and sort of let my final years of life just “fade away.” A quote in a blog that I read said . . .

“Busyness and fear constrict us in youth; fresh air and nature free us in old age.” ~Anne Lamott

And so I yearn for days with nothing planned or no where I have to go. A leisurely breakfast and coffee with the online newspaper is a perfect morning, followed by a walk in the garden. Even with all the wind right now, meaning few or no birds or butterflies, there are always plants and flowers or buds like I shared yesterday or a gaze at the surrounding hills, a cow across the street, or another amazing palm frond contrasting with the evergreens as it just fades away. And so today I rejoice in the unremarkable! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Beautiful Buds!

And these 6 little buds on the end of one stem of my Desert Rose plant will make 6 beautiful flowers, all clustered together. This plant just keeps blooming, year around. It looks like it probably needs a bigger pot, but I’m afraid to mess with it! 🙂

Desert Rose Flower Buds, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See my garden gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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Feather of a . . .

Red-tailed Hawk? Maybe, even though this 1 by 2 1/2 inch feather on my terrace was a little small, big birds do have some small feathers. And it appears to maybe be too big for a Rufous-backed Wren (common in my garden) and not dark enough for the Oropendola’s rust color and there are no Wood Rails near me! So I’m thinking it is most likely a small feather from a Red-tailed Hawk that blew in from a nesting place nearby or blew off when flying over. 🙂 Make your own guess! 🙂

Feather on my terrace from a partly rufous-colored bird, possibly a Red-tailed Hawk and less likely a Rufous-backed Wren. Less likely because of size.

And my only photo of a Red-tailed Hawk here is of one in captivity, but this feather does look like it’s possible to have come from him. 🙂 And the more I look at the Rufous-backed Wrens, the less likely it seems to be his, but check out my many photos of him to see what you think.

¡Pura Vida!

TOMORROW: Latest Cancer Surgery & Treatments and how I Mix the Public & Private Healthcare Systems Here

Thursday I went for an appointment to a new private Dermatologist for me, one recommended by my public ENT Oncologist, expecting to just talk and set up treatments later. But WOW! And in just 2 hours I had surgery on a large facial growth and “Plasma Treatment” (explained tomorrow) on a field of little pre-cancer growths across my forehead. In at 9 and out by 11! I was amazed! Read about it tomorrow. 🙂

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Baby Elephant Ears

The tall plants I had that were blocking the sun, not only stopped some other plants from flowering but seemed to kill my Elephant Ear plant (for a lack of sun) and I loved those! Well when the gardeners were removing the tall plants, one started to remove and dispose of the tubulars (dead trunk of Elephant Ear plant) left from the only Elephant Ear plant I had and another gardener told him “No, new plants will grow from those dead tubular remains.” Well, he was right! And quickly they have started growing from the remains of my old plant. Here’s two shots of the new Elephant Ears growing out of the remains of the old one. 🙂 Nature is amazing!

Baby Elephant Ears growing out of the remains of an old plant.
Baby Elephant Ears growing out of the remains of an old plant.

¡Pura Vida!

You might enjoy looking at My Garden GALLERY!

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Cigar Plant Shredded by Wind

A couple of years ago my gardeners planted this Cigar Calathea, Calathea lutea (linked to Wikipedia). It has many other cigar names which I guess is because of the cigar-shaped flower, but the leaves are not used for cigars! Rather, they are used for the presentation of food in some restaurants or to wrap food to go. It was surrounded by other tall plants like the Ti Plant, but I had those removed because they blocked the sun and flowers below would not bloom without sun! Here’s a series of photos made this week, with a couple earlier showing un-shredded leaves.

The Cigar-shaped Flowers of Calathea lutea, Atenas, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Cigar Plant Shredded by Wind”
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Buckeye & the Water Hose

When watering the other day this Tropical Buckeye, Junonia zonalis (linked to my gallery) was hanging out on and around the water hose. So I had to go get the camera! 🙂 The Buckeye has always been one of my tropical favorites since the first one I saw in the Florida Everglades many years ago. There are 3 or 4 varieties of the Buckeye, but all are similar and this is the one we have here in Costa Rica. Here’s 3 totally different views of this “Hose Buckeye” . . .

Tropical Buckeye, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Buckeye & the Water Hose”
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New Butterfly Species . . .

. . . for me! Not rare or that unusual, but the first one I’ve seen. Photos of 235 individuals in Costa Rica are posted on iNaturalist. And a lot from all over on butterfliesandmoths. Saw him today at midday on my Cecropia Tree. Not seeing as many butterflies or birds with the continued high winds. And it was a strong gust of wind that had him flying away too quickly to catch a shot of the top of wings which are dark brown with bright orange in the middle. Orion (Cecropian) – Historis odius are his English common names & scientific name. The common name here in Spanish is Mariposa lumbrera (Light Butterfly). And even in the wind, there are many nature discoveries to be found! 🙂

Orion (Cecropian) – Historis odius, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Orion (Cecropian) – Historis odius, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!