Category: Flowers

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This Year’s Maraca Crop

At almost opposite times of the year I get two crops of Maraca Flowers each year with red ones in November in my front gardens and these yellow ones in April to June in my back garden, which is always the larger of the two crops. Some North Americans or other English speakers call them “Shampoo Ginger” or “Pinecone Ginger” while Costa Ricans call them “Maracas.” My first time to see them was on one of my expeditions to Guatemala and loved this tropical oddity from the beginning. And its aromatic liquid in the bracts can actually be used as a shampoo or conditioner. 🙂 The scientific name is Zingiber zerumbet and they are usually red, yellow or orange in color.

Maraca or Shampoo Ginger, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

And on the other side of my house (streetside) are the red ones now dying out as these yellow one come in. I don’t know why they are on different schedules, but it means I always have some Maracas blooming! 🙂

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Mexican Silverspot

A nice colorful heliconian that I was glad to see in my garden the other day, Mexican Silverspot, Dione moneta (my gallery link). It’s the colorful ones that are called “flying flowers.” 🙂

Mexican Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Mexican Silverspot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

sustainable development ecology

“The time to protect a species is while it is still common.”

― Rosalie Edge

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Repotted My Desert Rose

Back in 2017 when my artist friend and next door neighbor, Anthony Jeroski, returned to the states, I got his favorite pot plant, a Desert Rose. It has been one of my favorites also and has literally bloomed constantly, year around, these past 7 years. I repotted it back then and since it seemed a little crowded recently, I had one of the plant nurseries (viveros) repot it for me this time. 🙂

I’ve had a Crown of Thorns that also bloomed year around, but it finally died, while this little guy just keeps on producing! The feature photo is of the new pot which was dormant at first (or in shock) for about a month in its new pot, but has started blooming again and will soon have blooms on every stem! Here’s one shot for the emailed version, followed by the online gallery of multiple shots. Another one of my many joys of being retired in Costa Rica! 🙂

Desert Rose plant, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Ruddy Daggerwing

This is only my second time to see one of these interesting butterflies, and the whole time he was in my garden, he stayed partially hidden behind leaves. The other time was just a half block outside the Roca Verde gate in Boquerón Barrio on 8th Avenue. You can see both sightings in my Ruddy Daggerwing Gallery. This one of several daggerwings is unique because he is orange on top like many other daggerwings, but his underside is “ruddy” (see my feature photo) or sometimes much like a dead leaf and the point of the upper wing is very falcate (hooked) like no other daggerwing. He is found from Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida. Here’s 3 of my several photos . . .

Ruddy Daggerwing, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Tropical Milkweed for Butterflies

Yes, there are at least two types of Milkweed, the one in the U.S. that most everyone knows as necessary for the survival of Monarchs, simply called Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca (Wikipedia link) or often called “Common Milkweed.” It must go dormant in the winter months. While the Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica (Wikipedia link) lives year around in tropical climates where there is always sunshine and above freezing temperatures. It is sometimes also called “Bloodflower” or “Mexican butterfly weed.” In Costa Rican Spanish, Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is most commonly known as “algodoncillo tropical”. It can also be referred to as “viborana” in some areas. See many more photos on iNaturalist Costa Rica.

I’ve added some to my garden this year to see which butterflies will choose it over the most popular Porter Weed (“rabo de toro” in CR Spanish which is “bull’s tail” OR “cola de alcarán” in the Caribe which is “scorpion’s tail”). Or maybe I will compare to my other two big attractors: Zinnias (“mal de ojo”) and Lantanas (“cinco negritos” or “soterrey”). Here’s five photos of my newly planted “babies” which have already attracted a tiny Metalmark . . . 🙂

Tropical Milkweed, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak

If nothing else, it has a cool name! 🙂 The Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak – Strymon yojoa (my gallery link) is another of those many Central American butterflies. Here’s a couple of shots and go to the gallery for more.

Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Canivet’s Emerald

is now one of my three regular hummingbirds along with the Rufous-tailed and the Blue-vented that surf my Porterweed flowers all day along with an occasional other flower and my feeders when filled (not often). Their second favorite flower seems to be the Torch Ginger or Bastón de Emperador. Both of these shots are of a female (white chest and white eyebrow) while the male has no white and thus I could be confusing him with the blue-vented which are very much alike.

Canivet’s Emerald, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Large Orange Sulphur

This species usually has lots of brown spots and lines on the folded wings much like the Apricot Sulphur, but these in my garden the other day were solid yellow, or to fit their name, a bright orange! 🙂 I am pretty sure of the identification, though never certain. Here’s 3 pix from that recent sighting and for more photos, see my Orange Sulphur Gallery.

Large Orange Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
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Guava Skipper

This was one of my first “exotic” butterflies on my birthday trip to Xandari in 2019 and since I’ve seen it one other time in my garden in June of 2022 and now here in 2025. See some much better photos in my gallery: Guava Skipper.

Note that different sources have different scientific names: Phocides lilea, Phocides polybus and Phocides palemon. I still don’t know who is in charge of butterfly names, but I’m beginning to lean toward iNaturalist and put their scientific name first in my lists when more than one is used. It is not like with birds where eBird is sort of everyone’s source with confidence that it is always correct. (A least we think that!) 🙂

Guava Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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