Eastern Tailed-Blue

It looks bluer in person than in the photos and the male is solid blue on top of wings, while the female is solid brown on top. This one is my first “blue” this year, I think. I found him on the yellow ground-cover flowers on my side of the driveway slope, where I have to use my walking stick (trekking pole) and good sports sandals or hiking shoes to hold me on the very steep slope while photographing. 🙂 Some species only go to certain flowers when available, so maybe I will start checking these flowers more often. 🙂 We are entering the “fewer butterflies season” for my garden until it picks up again next April/May, though there are some butterflies year around, just like the birds! See more photos of this species in my GALLERY: Eastern Tailed-Blue (including some blue tops). You will find more of these in the Eastern half of the U.S. and Canada than here, but this “northern butterfly” does range as far south as Costa Rica. We get them from both North & South America! 🙂 Here’s two shots from an October sighting . . .

Eastern Tailed-Blue, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Devil’s Trumpet

I found this on one of my walks to town and continue to be surprised with new and unusual species of flowers and just about everything else in nature! 🙂 Just two shots with different looks plus a shot of a “seed capsule” that I saw on the bush 2 weeks later, with the flowers gone . . .

Metel Devil’s Trumpet, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Banded Peacock + Our Tropical Fjord!

The most common butterfly in my garden this year and one of the most common every year since I’ve lived here now nearly 11 years. But still a fine and interesting butterfly as is his cousin the White Peacock. You can see some of my other photos in the gallery Banded Peacock, Anartia fatima.

Banded Peacock, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Dyar’s Swallowtail

My second sighting of this species and this time a female while the previous time was a male who is distinguished by a blue-green (turquoise) patch on the topside of his hind wings which you can see in my gallery from the previous sighting, also in my garden! 🙂 See different views of both of these interesting swallowtails in my gallery: Dyar’s Swallowtail – Battus ingenus. Finding unusual species and the differences in them is just one fun part of butterflying along with birding! And I now believe that Costa Rica is the best place in the world for both, with more species per acre than any other country in the world. Just one side-view photo here. Go to the gallery for top and other views of both male and female. And note that with my first sighting I thought it was a Crammer’s Swallowtail, but have corrected that since with the help of experts on both BAMONA and iNaturalist.

Dyar’s Swallowtail Female, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Blue-glossed Skipper

If I’ve identified this correctly, it will be a new species for me. It is similar to one I saw earlier confirmed by iNaturalist as Aroma, aroma, so I hope that the identifiers on iNaturalist will agree with me & the AI on this one too, Blue-glossed Skipper, Onophas columbaria. (Linked to my gallery.) The third photo of one with darker wings was made later on the same day as the other 2 shots of the same insect.

Blue-glossed Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Backside Identifier

From the front view, the Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher and Boat-billed Flycatcher look almost alike (with differences in overall size & the bills), but one key characteristic of a Great Kiskadee that you can see from behind (or a side view) are the “rufous” (red-brown) feathers while the others have only dull brown feathers. And that is sometimes easier to see than overall size or the size and shape of the bill. Thus I’m sharing this backside photo today to emphasize one of the characteristics of the Great Kiskadee (my gallery link). That yellow spot on his head is true of him and the Social Flycatcher, so another identifier. 🙂

Great Kiskadee, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Polydamas Swallowtail

This most frequent swallowtail in my garden has showed up a little less this year, but is always a pleasure to see. Here’s the two basic views, top view and side view . . .

Polydamas Swallowtail, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Toucan in my Garden Again!

Yesterday, November 3, 2025, this Keel-billed Toucan (my gallery link) landed in one of my Nance Trees (though not time for the berries). In the past I always had them in my Cecropia Tree, but it is dying and I think they sense that and avoid the tree. My last shot of this Keel-billed Toucan was last November ’24 from my garden but in a tree uphill from me in a neighbor’s tree, two Toucans with a Chachalaca! 🙂 The last of this species in my garden was in January 2023! So I was quite pleased yesterday! And booted the October photo scheduled for tomorrow up to November 15. 🙂 Yes, I have my blog photos scheduled more than 10 days ahead now and will be adding November shots after that. But I did not want to wait until the 15th for these two shots with many more made and in the gallery.

Keel-billed Toucan, My garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Tanna Longtail

Sometimes I’m not sure which of the several Longtails photos like this are, but from the beginning I was pretty sure these were Tanna and when iNaturalist AI agreed, I became pretty confident! 🙂 See my gallery of Tanna Longtail or if you go to iNaturalist Costa Rica you will see that I am the lead observer there, with the most photos. Tanna Longtail just seems to like it here in Atenas, as do I! 🙂

Tanna Longtail, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Green Pastures

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23).

Green Pasture Vista from my terrace, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

I thank God daily for allowing me to live in a peaceful place surrounded by nature and the great outdoors with unlimited aspects of nature to photograph. Praise God from who all blessings flow!

“How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures”. ~Psalm 104:24

And of course I have a Cows Gallery of my photos from all over Costa Rica. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!