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A cool, tiny butterfly in the Hairstreak Family the size of a small fingernail that is bright blue on top of his wings which he seldom shows. See one top view in my gallery at Dusky-blue Groundstreak, Calycopis isobeon. This is only the third one that I’ve seen. Here’s three shots . . .
The two blue ones are almost certainly in the Dancer Family / Argia Family, while the beigey one with a hint of turquoise is one that I will not be certain about a family, though I think he also could be a dancer or possibly in the Clubtail Family / Gomphidae Family. Dragon & Damselflies usually stay near water and that is a matter of perspective for my garden which is 200-300 yards from the nearest stream. But that is where I found them. I will post on iNaturalist and hopefully the Dragonfly book author will identify them, though sometimes he only gives a family. Here’s the 3 photos . . .
. . . as the birds seem to be making their return (though still windy some). And the National Bird, the Yigüirro, is singing his heart out as if it were April and the rains about to start. Some say that means the rainy season will begin earlier in April or maybe in March? Not normal, but then nothing about the weather has been normal this year. This shot was of a solo Gray-headed Chachalaca, Ortalis cinereiceps (my gallery link) in my Cecropia Tree. They are often in flocks, but none yet in my garden.
¡Pura Vida!
I think! 🙂 It has the wrong markings for a juvenile Spiny-tailed Iguana which I see a lot in my garden and with my books and an online search I was not able to nail down a species right now, but I think he is in the large Anole family. I posted the pix on iNaturalist, so hoping someone there will identify this active little lizard on my Cecropia Tree. Here 3 shots from 3 different angles . . .
The Common Spurwing, Antigonus erosus (my gallery link) is like several species with the top and bottom sides of the wings being totally different which you can see in this set of just 3 photos . . .
This Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (my gallery link) is the National Bird of Costa Rica and widely believed since pre-Columbian days to be the bird who sings in the rains in April & May. One neighbor says they are already singing in his yard, though I haven’t heard them in mine yet. Yesterday morning it was the White-winged Dove out-singing all of the other birds in my garden. 🙂 And I have no idea what that means! 🙂
And interestingly, at night I’ve had both the Common Pauraque and the Tropical Screech Owl singing me to sleep! (Merlin sound ID) 🙂 But no photos of either in my trees at night. The linked photo of a Pauraque was at Maquenque Ecolodge where I’ve seen more species than any other place, and it was a daytime shot! 🙂 Here’s four shots of the Yigüirro in my garden the other day . . .
I’m beginning to see some of the old “regulars” back in my garden when the wind is not too strong, but overall, butterflies are still scarce and I don’t expect a lot before May. But I’ve had at least two of these Polydamas Swallowtail, Battus polydamas (my gallery link). Here’s 3 shots of one individual in my garden recently . . .
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 . . .
¡Pura Vida!
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! 🙂
See my garden gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
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!
¡Pura Vida!
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