charliedoggett.net
Both my gardens and ones I visit
The White-winged Dove (eBird) is one of my faithful regularly seen birds in my garden. Here is in a Yellow Bell Tree behind my house. I also have quite a few photos in my White-winged Dove GALLERY, including what I think was my first bird to photograph here the hour I arrived for a birding tour in 2009. 
¡Pura Vida!
I see many more of these large butterflies during the rainy season, but the other day this one was flitting about the different flowers in my garden in spite of the wind! He has to eat, windy or not!
Check out my other shots of this species in my Polydamas Swallowtail GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
Well, forget that business of the last four days of my “final” butterflies of the season. I keep finding more and even new ones like this beautiful earth toned “Theona Checkerspot” (Chlosyne theona) in my garden. Another tiny one that stays near the ground in our windy weather now.
¡Pura Vida!
And my Butterflies of Costa Rica GALLERIES.
More like the usual size of butterflies, these Banded Peacocks, Anartia fatima, are the only larger butterflies around my house now unless you count speeding Yellows which are really smaller. I see this species year around and all over Costa Rica. Here’s a couple of shots of two possibly trying to mate and one traditional shot showing their colors and patterns.
Continue reading “Late Butterflies – #3 of 4 – Banded Peacock”
Thel Rounded Metalmark or Calephelis perditalis is one of several Metalmark butterflies still around my yard late in the season. Like the Satyrs, they stay close to the ground and seem to prefer grass over flowers, thus the wind blowing is not as much of a bother to them. This one is quite colorful and with intricate design work on sides, thus I include a top view, bottom view and a folded-wings or side view.
The Cerulean Dancer, Argia anceps, is a Central American Damselfly found on both coasts and in the interior. This is a male, darker blue, while the female is a lighter blue. Photographed on the tile sidewalk in my garden here in the Central Valley town of Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
See more photos in Damsel & Dragonflies CR GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
It seems to be taking me longer to complete my trip galleries – just a slow old man!
But one reason was that it is slow identifying 32 species of butterflies (several new to me), 29 species of birds (1 lifer), and 13 species of other wildlife with lots of nice frog shots this time! These trip galleries are my main photo galleries to which I link for photos in the bird, butterfly and other subject galleries. If you are considering different lodges in Costa Rica as a visitor or one who lives here and travels like me, these trip galleries are a good source of real information about what you can see in a particular place. Enjoy!
Or click this linked address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2022-December-22-28-Arenal-Observatory-Lodge
¡Pura Vida!
The Butterfly Conservancy in the village of Castillo on Lake Arenal near Arenal Observatory Lodge is very good with multiple greenhouses for the different butterfly habitats plus outside natural butterflies with all being native to Costa Rica. And for the history-lovers, this is the little town that was once called Nuevo Arenal after the lake was flooded to make electricity and covered the original town of Arenal.
I only got useable photos of 14 species with 15 photos here because the White-spotted Prepona is so different with folded wings and open wings. And I will just start with him as the first two photos followed by 13 more:
Archaeoprepona amphimachus (above)
You may remember that I posted a photo of this poinsettia in my garden before Christmas last month (Dec. 18) with only 3 large red petals. Well, those tiny ones near the center kept growing, and I believe they will even more!
It was my indoor potted poinsettia for Christmas ’21 that I planted in the garden last January and someone told me that those potted ones would never bloom again when put in a garden. Well, maybe some don’t, but this one did! And it just keeps blooming with a smaller flower coming in beneath this larger bloom, that I’ve been told are actually leaves that turn red. Just another fun experience with flowers and a garden! One of those “little things” in nature that a retired old man finds joy in – while “Retired in Costa Rica!”
And I’m not finished sharing photos from my Christmas trip to Arenal Volcano National Park, but I may continue to throw in an occasional “local” blog post to keep Atenas in the news!
¡Pura Vida!
For more flowers, check out my Flora & Forest GALLERIES! And stay tuned for more butterflies+ from Arenal!
My last 4 species of birds from Arenal Observatory are in 5 photos because the Red-legged Honeycreeper male & female are so different, with only their legs matching!
