Category: Flowers

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Tropical Buckeye

This has always been one of my favorite butterflies, even in the states with a slightly different version, seen a lot when in Florida. Here’s two shots of one in my garden the other day . . .

Tropical Buckeye, Atenas, Costa Rica
Tropical Buckeye, Atenas, Costa Rica

See my Tropical Buckeye Gallery for more photos of this colorful guy! And note that in earlier years here I called it the “West Indian Buckeye” and I was wrong then. All I have seen here are the “Tropical” and theoretically we may have some “Mangrove Buckeye” here, though I’ve not seen one yet. Probably down along the coasts in the mangroves!  🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Whirlabout

Though that sounds like me over the last few days and in the coming days, it is actually the name of a butterfly, Whirlabout, Polites vibex, and here are two photos of one recently in my garden.

Whirlabout, Atenas, Costa Rica
Whirlabout, Atenas, Costa Rica.

And what have I been so busy about? Well, several things . . .

Continue reading “Whirlabout”

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Maquenque Trip Gallery Created

Finally I have all my photos for the 5 nights in April 2023 at Maquenque Eco Lodge and Reserve including the sub-galleries I’ve already shared. This was another great photo trip to one of my favorite places in Costa Rica with photos of 62 bird species (6 lifers!), 10 butterflies and more than 30 species of other animals! Plus my usual “Nature as Art” photos of everything from flowers to weird leaves and beautiful landscapes. Just this one trip gallery will show you why I am so excited about being “Retired in Costa Rica!” the name of my blog and website. Enjoy the photos! Just click this image:

CLICK this image of this first page of the gallery to go to it.

Or use this address:    https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2023-April-9-14-Maquenque-Ecolodge

¡Pura Vida!

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Ceraunus Blue

This is my third time to photograph a Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus, including one other time in my home garden and one at Hotel Banana Azul in the Caribbean. You can see those other photos in the Ceraunus Blue GALLERY and other people’s photos from all over the Americas at butterfliesandmoths.org. This is one of those tiny, fingernail-sized butterflies and seems to be fairly common in North and Central America. Here’s my three different views of this one last Thursday in my garden . . .

Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus, Atenas, Costa Rica

 

Continue reading “Ceraunus Blue”

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Rejoice!

A view of our tranquil little farm town from a hill in my neighborhood.
Plants up the driveway from my house that said “resurrection” to me.
One of the most joyful flowers in my garden, to me, the Flame Vine or Triquitraque here,

He has risen!

He has risen indeed!

¡Pura Vida!

For a few shots of old Traditional Easter Pageantry, see the trip gallery of my 2016 Visit to Granada, Nicaragua Easter Week, called “Semana Santa” en español.

PERSONAL NOTE: Tonight I will be at one of my favorite nature lodges, Maquenque Ecolodge in Boca Tapada on the Nicaragua border from which you can expect weeks of nature photos and maybe one tonight!   🙂

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Mystery Insect with Shin Pads?

There are thousands of different species of insects in Costa Rica and I have no idea what this one is that I caught the other day in my garden on a Plumbago flower (Most insects don’t land on it because it is sticky and they can get stuck!). AND he appears to have little yellow shin pads or knee pads. Hmmm? Every day in Costa Rica nature there is a new discovery!  🙂

Unidentified Insect, Atenas, Costa Rica
Unidentified Insect, Atenas, Costa Rica

I will put him in my Unidentified Insects GALLERY where there are 34 species now with some much more colorful and interesting. Please contact me if you can identify any of them!

🙂

¡Pura Vida!

 

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Brown Longtail Manages the Wind

It is still windy here into April which is unusual and it plays havoc with the butterflies, meaning that I am still seeing or photographing few. But this Brown Longtail, Urbanus procne, along with some of the other Skippers and a few tiny ones on the ground are all I see right now and less frequently a Yellow high in the air, seemingly riding the currents of the wind and never landing where I can photograph. This one I got the day before yesterday in my garden on a Porterweed in a brief lull of the wind.

Brown Longtail, Atenas, Costa Rica

See my Brown Longtail GALLERY.

¡Pura Vida!

 

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The “Brown is Cool” Butterflies

Three butterflies I got the other morning at the same time that are not new to me but I think handsome butterflies, The Tanna Longtail (normal sized) and the Rawson’s Metalmark (tiny fingernail sized), the same species I featured 6 days ago on March 22, and a Plain Longtail not much different from the first one above.

Tanna Longtail, Atenas, Costa Rica

Note that this Tanna Longtail is very similar to the Teleus Longtail (darker side spots, thinner median band) and the Brown Longtail (also with darker side spots) and thus my ID is not guaranteed but I’m pretty sure!  🙂

Rawson’s Metalmark, Atenas, Costa Rica
Plain Longtail Skipper, Atenas, Costa Rica

 

See my galleries of other shots of these two at:

¡Pura Vida!

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Nature as Contemporary Art

Delicate flower buds, a dead leaf and a huge tree on the hill above my house – just using my imagination and playing with nature in the camera . . .

Nature as Art, Atenas, Costa Rica
Nature as Art, Atenas, Costa Rica
Nature as Art, Atenas, Costa Rica