The last of the butterflies it seems, this common skipper is still flitting about my garden. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
TWO GALLERIES to check out:
All My Costa Rica Butterflies
Chisos Banded Skipper
“Army Abolition Day” Today
Today is a National Holiday which until last year was on December 1, but last year moved to Monday to provide another long weekend so locals can go help the struggling tourism businesses. 🙂 Read this year’s Tico Times Article on a very important holiday!
Former President José Figueres Ferrer abolished the armed forces in Costa Rica on Dec. 1, 1948 following the end of the civil war that brought him to power. The decision was ratified in Costa Rica’s new constitution, adopted in 1949. And thus December 1 has been celebrated since then as “Army Abolition Day” until last year when the government moved another holiday to the nearest Monday to facilitate another long weekend. 🙂 Important to Ticos! 🙂
Read about how our Peaceful Country has this year gone 73 years without an army on the CostaRica.org website or heralded by Unesco as the first country to abolish its army. Or read about how our National Public Police Force provides protection and safety for Costa Rica in this Wikipedia Article. Truly an amazing place for a pacifist like me! 🙂 ¡El país de la paz!
¡Pura Vida!
Cachicama or Carton Wasp Nest
The other morning after breakfast on my terrace I discovered this wasp nest on a limb of my Cecropia or Guarumo Tree. After a lengthy bit of research on the web I discovered this ID on the “What’s That Bug?” website. It’s a really interesting and well-built nest! I think it might be a type of the more generic “Paper Wasp.” The curls on top are just dead leaves from my Guarumo tree.
¡Pura Vida!
And check out all My More Insects CR Gallery.
Grackle for Breakfast
Well, not to eat! 🙂 But this male Great-tailed Grackle (eBird description) stopped by and stayed awhile during my breakfast (I always eat outside) where I could see him while other birds are going higher in the tree above the roof line and my line of sight. 🙂
This common bird is found from the Western U.S. south throughout Central America and into northern South America. In my Great-tailed Grackle Gallery I have photos of both the male and female from 11 different locations in Costa Rica.
Anthurium
“Anthurium, (genus Anthurium), genus of about 825 species of herbaceous plants in the arum family (Araceae) native to tropical America. Several species are popular foliage plants, and a few species are widely grown for the florist trade for their showy long-lasting floral structures.”
~https://www.britannica.com/plant/Anthurium
Bright red Tropical Charmer
Read about the
Symbolism and Meaning of the Anthurium.
¡Pura Vida!
Check out my Flora & Forest Gallery.
Green on Green
Green may have always been my favorite color, but for now, it definitely is! Our future as a planet is either green or not at all and everyone can plant trees and other plants and contribute to this prime color of green on green! 🙂
Seeing Green on green FutureContinue reading “Green on Green”
Palm Tree!
¡Pura Vida!
Experiencing “Extreme Weather” here . . .
Continue reading “Palm Tree!”Flowing
Cock in the Road
¡Pura Vida!
WALKING PATHS in My Life Today
Next to maybe “Nature” in general or “Birds” specifically, nothing describes my life of being “Retired in Costa Rica” better than “WALKING!” For seven years now without a car I have learned to get to most needed places on foot; walking to town, to the supermercado or farmacia, to a restaurante; and even better, walking for fun or the discoveries of nature on city sidewalks, my “Country Lane” or “Country Road” walks for photos of birds or other nature and best of all the many wonderful wilderness trails I’ve discovered in national parks and reserves across this beautiful, natural country of Costa Rica. My life here has made experiencing nature and walking (hiking) almost synonymous! The feature photo at top is one of the horizons I experience on “Country Lane” and other paths in Atenas with one of my trip trails below . . .
