Yesterday I had my house fumigated for insects, mainly for an invasion of two different kinds of ants and believed the treatment would be more effective if I left my house closed up with the fogging and spray overnight and thus not healthy for me to sleep there. So I spent last night at our little neighborhood hotel, Colinas del Sol, which is a group of cabins along with a few larger, long-term rental houses. I was put in Villa 3 and snapped a few shots before the afternoon rain started. I can’t go anywhere without capturing photos of the nature there!
I’m writing this last night and my plans are to enjoy their breakfast included with the room this morning and mid-morning return home to open up and air out the house, with all the ceiling fans on for awhile! 🙂 Then enjoy my ant-free house! And tomorrow’s blog post will return to the continuing reports on Hotel Banana Azul in Caribe Sur! I’m still processing photos with a lot more to share! 🙂
I got a macro lens once and found it too much trouble to use and continued to use my 600mm zoom lens to catch tiny things like some of the butterflies and the other day I tried to capture this ant on a heliconia flower which is not real detailed but it was fun trying! 🙂
Ant on a Heliconia Flower, Atenas, Costa RicaAnt on a Heliconia Flower, Atenas, Costa Rica
1,000 visitors viewing 2,000 pages, writing 12 comments and giving my blog 80 likes (and only other WordPress Bloggers have a “like button.”) THANKS to all the many readers of this blog! And I’m especially thankful to those living in Costa Rica who read it! ¡Pura vida! 🙂
Art Gallery Did Not Materialize
The half dozen women putting together what was going to be a great art gallery in Atenas and I was to be one of the artists, gave up on all the setup costs and government regulations/taxes, etc. and just decided at the last minute (June 15 opening) that they will just not do it. I can understand their frustration, but it’s a big disappointment for me, especially since I’ve spent several thousand dollars on photo merchandise and even commissioned last week a big 30 cm wide basket to hold the accent pillows with my floral photos printed on them. But so goes life and I’ll figure out something to do with it all or give a lot of gifts. 🙂 And they may still do the Christmas Art Show!? If so, I’m ready! 🙂
Shop at My House!
And if you live in Atenas, call first (8410-9916), then come by my house and check out these gorgeous accent pillows, which I’ll sell from home now, along with greeting cards, coffee mugs, mouse pads, tote bags, T-shirts, and of course wall art photos! All below my cost! 🙂
DISCLAIMER:
As of today, 5 June, 2023, the 11 new Wall Art Metal Photos have not arrived for my pickup in Alajuela yet (Stuck in Customs!) and the only wall art immediately available are ones left over from the JIT Christmas Art Show. I’m hoping that the new Wall Art will be available when I go to Alajuela this Thursday and get the Mouse Pads that have arrived. BUT IF INTERESTED IN WALL ART, I suggest that you wait until next week and pray that Customs releases them soon! 🙂 But I do have 400 different 5×7 Greeting Cards which some people get several of for a wall “grouping” of similar images. Also, I am preparing an online photo inventory or “Atenas Gallery” of available photo items at my house with pictures, but that takes time and is not finished yet! 🙂 I will announce it here on the blog when completed.
Sorry that you got a false email notice of this post two days ago! In short, this old man is sometimes technologically challenged! 🙂 I often schedule posts a day or so ahead and when the scheduling calendar popped up I clicked the 4th and entered. Whoops! I had just clicked the 4th of December! 🙂 I quickly changed it to the 4th of January, but alas, the auto email had already been sent out. 🙂
Since March and the first arrival of COVID19 in Costa Rica, the government Health Ministry prohibits buffet service in restaurants. But I guess that does not include ants eating a spec of food together on my terrace! 🙂
These tiny black ants are eating a tiny spec of something: food, fruit, flower, other insect or I’m not sure what on my terrace, right in front of my rocking chair. I just had to photograph them! 🙂
Ant Buffet on my terrace.
If all humans disappeared today ,the earth would start improving tomorrow. If all the ants disappeared today ,the earth would start dying tomorrow.
Yep! That’s how many different kinds of ants we have in Costa Rica and I have no idea which species this one is, but not sure I’ve noticed him around my house before. The leaf-cutters are the most identifiable, always carrying a piece of leaf or flower, and I’ve shown them on the blog multiple times. This little guy was on the railing of my terrace two mornings ago. They are all interesting! Until they come in the house, I leave them alone and they leave me alone. 🙂
Jewel bug or Metallic shield bug (Scutelleridae) Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Central American Spider Monkey Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Unknown Insect Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Red-tailed Squirrel Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Isabella Tiger Butterfly Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Ant Bridge They create a bridge of ant bodies for others to walk over. Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Golden Orb Spider Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Active Termite Nest Los Patos Station, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
I have already done a post of other non-bird animals seen on the Night Hike(better photos!). And of course you can see all of them together in my TRIP Gallery: 2018 March – Danta Corcovado.
Guarumo leaves are some of the most interesting in the tropics.
When my personal gardener told me the Guarumo tree would attract Toucans with the seeds, I told him I wanted one! And I have it! It grows naturally only in Central America and is one of several kinds of Cecropia trees. I panicked this week when I saw a stream of tiny ants crawling up and down the trunk of the tree and called Cristian for help! He stopped by after another job today and explained that this ant is the friend of this tree. They help each other in a symbiotic relationship, providing food and housing for the ants who in turn protect the tree from leaf-eating predators. It was also used by Amerindians for medicinal purposes and is now used by pharmaceutical companies.
All of the cecropia trees are the favorite food of sloths, so you most often see photos of sloths in large cecropia trees, but not usually the Guarumo though. Mine will have to be a lot larger to hold either a toucan or sloth! Right now it is just a special kind of symbiotic ants! It not only looks cool, but is a great lesson in working together with smaller, sometimes hated creatures!
A sustainable world means working together to create prosperity for all. ~Jacqueline Novogratz
And by the way, I just this moment realized that today is my 6 month anniversary in Costa Rica! I moved here December 24, 2014. I’m glad I came! Maybe I will eventually figure out a symbiotic relationship with Costa Rica. 🙂
