Flowers Archives - Retired in Costa Rica

July 13, 2020July 11, 2020

Maquenque Rainforest Flowers Part 2

Flowers in the wild here are for me kind of like birds and butterflies, I find new ones almost every time I go into the forest! Here’s 14 more added to yesterday’s photo. CLICK an image to enlarge and enjoy! I’m still working on the bird photos which may take a few more days or I may present them in little groups also. Keep reading!

See also my Flora & Forest Gallery for more flowers!

¡Pura Vida!

July 12, 2020July 11, 2020

Maquenque Rainforest Flowers Part 1

Yes – these all grow wild in the rainforest even if they have moved some up near the lodge. And I really tried to get a name for each flower which I did for the 13 today and for all but 3 of the 14 for tomorrow. I make a big deal out of all the birds here and could just as easily for all the unique flowers. Enjoy and remember to CLICK an image to enlarge.

14 more rainforest flowers tomorrow in Part 2!

Maquenque Butterflies

As common after trips, I’ve been overwhelmed with things to do since I returned from Maquenque Eco-Lodge and with so many bird photos to process (70+ species) it may be awhile before I share those, so here is a small collection of 7 species of butterflies. Every living thing loves Maquenque! 🙂 CLICK an image to enlarge.

It’s very tough for me to focus. I’m like: ‘Look, something shiny! No, focus. Oh, there goes a butterfly!’ ~Gabby Douglas

🙂

My Costa Rica Butterfly Gallery has more than 106 species now!

¡Pura Vida!

July 5, 2020July 5, 2020

And a Birthday Dinner!

I got lots of attention all day yesterday but the biggie was dinner with a birthday cake and singing of Feliz Cumpleaños. Plus they decorated chair with flowers and gave me a bouquet of flowers to take back to my room in the tree tops! And I will eat more birthday cake today!

Head Chef or Kitchen Manager posing with me.

¡Pura Vida!

June 29, 2020June 29, 2020

Hummingbird Moth

This is a totally new butterfly or moth for me that I photographed yesterday in my garden. It has some characteristics of a Skipper, though not the shrimp-like face, the double plumes on the tail nor the wide white belt around his waist. It is not in my books nor can I find it online. If any reader knows, please contact me with CONTACT button on the main menu.

POSTSCRIPT 29 JUNE: I originally titled this “Flying Shrimp?” and posted it on FaceBook where two people gave me the correct name of Hummingbird Moth – Thanks to Don Walzel and Ron Box who shared this link:

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/hummingbird_moth.shtml?fbclid=IwAR2d7rCCyeOiTNdIoe6zPRVyCosQ0iG_BmSyRn8XGpPSUBtx5GSYaeu1JwI

See my Costa Rica Butterfly Gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

June 28, 2020June 28, 2020

Bee

According to a report in Semanario Universidad, there are 650 species of bees in Costa Rica and all are endangered by the powerful insecticides neonicotinoids used to protect fruit from fruit flies and other insects. I have been unable to identify this particular bee in my garden today along with many butterflies. I cannot find books or websites to accurately identify which one of the 650 species this one happens to be. 🙂 Click image to enlarge.

My Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Bees (6)

Bee Happy! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020

Nature as Art – Up Close

Today I spent some time in the garden trying to be Georgia O’Keeffe with her oversize flowers, curves and colorful shapes in leaves, mountains or whatever she painted. I love her work! Here’s 10 of about 100 photos I made today in the garden.

It was also a “practice” for next week when I will be at Maquenque Lodge, not only photographing lots of birds, but hopefully some “Nature as Art” photos of many other natural creations in that beautiful wilderness setting, partly from my tree-house room! 🙂 Click an image to enlarge it or start manual slideshow.

Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

See my Flora & Forest Costa Rica gallery for more of this type of “art.”

Or for some of my old Tennessee “Nature a Art” Photos, another gallery with images sized as I sold them in arts & crafts fairs in the 2010’s.

¡Pura Vida!

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020

My Nashville Zoo Photos Posted

As noted earlier, one of the things I’m doing more of during the “lock-down” time is trying get all of my old photos culled through and posted in one place.

One of the biggest collections is from my 10 years of volunteer work at Nashville Zoo and my Nashville Zoo Gallery is now completed. It includes one of my biggest collections of bird photos along with so many other animals and a really large number of people photos which was what the Zoo PR Dept. wanted a lot of. It was a nice re-living of many great memories at Nashville Zoo. And as I go through other photo files I expect to find more of Nashville Zoo, like when friends and family visited, I often took them to the zoo but haven’t gotten to those photos yet! 🙂

screenshot-charliedoggett-smugmug-com-Pre-Costa-Rica-Nashville-Photos-Nashville-Zoo-Volunteer-Docent-1593136960804-WEB — Organized in 6 super-galleries with many sub-galleries under each.

And check out the current Nashville Zoo Website – A wonderful zoo!

¡Pura Vida!

June 21, 2020June 21, 2020

Yellows & Whites + Grasshopper

Today a cloud of mostly Yellows was in my garden plus one brown Skipper I didn’t try to photograph. They don’t stay still, thus very difficult to photograph and with the book full of Yellows & Whites the identification is not always exacting, but my best effort with a few “either/or” IDs! 🙂

And the grasshopper only eats the leaves, while the butterflies go for the flower nectar, so no competition! They share a flower! 🙂

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My Costa Rica Butterflies Gallery

¡Pura Vida!

June 18, 2020June 18, 2020