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Both my gardens and ones I visit
I’m only sharing 8 of the 39 unique mountain flowers in my gallery for this trip, so if you like flowers be sure to follow the link to my Hotel Savegre Flowers Gallery. And here’s a sample:
I have my “Trip Gallery” finished at 2021 January, San Gerardo de Dota Hotel Savegre.
And for more Costa Rica Flowers, see my Flora & Forest Galleries.
¡Pura Vida!
Though I still have posts coming through Tuesday, February 2, the photos have all been processed and collected in on of my “Trip Galleries” to see all of the photos in one place called 2021 San Gerardo de Dota Hotel Savegre. Click the linked title or the gallery image below to see.
¡Pura Vida!
I enjoy photographing all of nature so much that it is difficult to stop or reduce the number of photos I share on this blog and I know that fewer can be better and simpler but here I go again, with only one more blog post on Arenal tomorrow, then I will begin another photo adventure – so get ready for more but different nature! 🙂 And the above feature photo is the morning walk guide explaining the Breadfruit Tree with a close-up of a breadfruit in “Other Nature Shots” below. And yes, it is edible, mostly by monkeys but some humans cook it and use with other more tasty foods. 🙂
“Choose only one master—nature.”
~Rembrandt
My Related Photo Galleries: Flora & Forest or inside it Lichens, Leaves & Nature Things! 🙂
And the LODGE WEBSITE for Arenal Observatory Lodge.
¡Pura Vida!
I thought I had more different views than this but it is no longer new to me, so didn’t take as many photos and the one I took from the butterfly garden didn’t take so here’s 2 from my room, one from a hotel garden and one from the road in front of the Butterfly Conservatory.
¡Pura Vida!
Yesterday’s butterfly post was all photographed at The Butterfly Conservatory, El Castillo – Arenal, Costa Rica. I highly recommend it if you are at or near Arenal Volcano or La Fortuna. I always stay at Arenal Observatory Lodge which is less than a 10 minute drive to the butterflies while from La Fortuna would be about 30 minutes. It’s on Lake Arenal.
See yesterday’s post for the butterflies I photographed. Below are some shots of the facilities, the hiking trails, and flowers. There is a so-so insect museum with dead insects of many species stuck to boards, but not labeled. This competes with if not better than the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens for just the butterflies, my other favorite and both are better than the very commercial Selvatura Adventure Park in Monteverde. And another one surprisingly good on my 3 visits there is the small Restaurant Selva Tropical Butterfly Garden, Guapiles, Costa Rica and sometimes the butterfly garden at La Paz Waterfall Gardens has a good collection. All are up and down with many butterflies only living a day or two and thus a lot of work to keep hatching new butterflies! 🙂
And then there’s my Butterflies of CR Gallery!
130+ Species!
¡Pura Vida!
The International Living Magazine again ranks Costa Rica the #1 Place in the world to Retire. I’m not a fan of the magazine because I found them too commercial, with too many ways to take my money, but they do have interesting articles and if you are considering retirement in any other country, read these short articles on the top 10 places to retire.
Around the first of January every year in Costa Rica the skylines, forest tops and trees in every direction seem to be ablaze in yellow. In my yard it is what we call “Yellow Bells” in English, while many others here and throughout the country are the Yellow Cortez Tree and in other places the Brazilian Fire Tree. These shots are from recent short morning walks through my neighborhood. CLICK image to see larger . . .
“How lovely yellow is! It stands for the sun.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
¡Pura Vida!
My related Photo Galleries: Flora & Forest
And more photos from Arenal & Caño Negro are coming! I’m still organizing photos! 🙂
I just found this feature image from the May 9 “Big Day” of bird counting for eBird when I walked, counted and photographed birds in Roca Verde and adjacent Calle Nueva. The only non-bird photo was this above of a “House in the Forest” which I think I shot because it was so appealing to me, beckoning me into the forest.
Then just as I started to use it in this post as a wishful place, PRESTO! I realized that I already have it! It is the same kind of thing I have created with my little rental house, planting trees and flowers all around it where there were none already until I now have a slightly more modern version of the above house in the woods. Mine is seen below:
I love my “house in the forest” and the “jungle” I’ve created around it. This was “wide open” or mostly barren when I came 5.5 years ago, so I’m proud of my “reforestation!” 🙂 Plant a tree! It will make you happy!
A few weeks ago I spoke to this “living in a forest” with my blog post Forest Window and back in January I did a post titled My Windows – My World where I actually showed you the view I have from every room in my house! 🙂 You see, I love forests and living in them! 🙂
But I also live periodically all over Costa Rica now and those many forests can be seen through my eyes in a Flora & Forest Gallery and of course other galleries with the birds & other animals in these forests! And oh yes, today is the day I leave for one of my favorite forests in Costa Rica, Arenal Volcano National Park and the wonderful in-park wilderness lodge Arenal Observatory Lodge (link to lodge website). So maybe an arrival-day blog post report tonight! 🙂 Enjoy your own trees and plant some more! 🙂
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”
– John Muir
¡Pura Vida!
There may not be anything in my garden I haven’t already shared but I keep trying for some “New Looks” as I walk through it daily.
See My Garden Gallery or the bigger Flora & Forest Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
Costa Rica’s President Alvarado talks with President-elect Biden about the urgency of both the Pandemic and Climate Change. A Tico Times article. Thankfully we prioritize the important things here!
¡Pura Vida!
I’ve featured the cana flower and the zinnias from this road and here are some more:
These photos are a part of my collection called “Country Lane” – Avenida 8 Photo Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
Costa Rica celebrates 72 years without an army, a Tico Times article.
Everywhere in the world governments are slow to fix potholes in roads. This Tico found an interesting way to reprimand our government here in Costa Rica. Just use the potholes for flowerpots! 🙂 I love it! In your face government people, “these potholes’ are in front of my house!” They are on the gravel extension of Avenida 8 in Atenas where I walk sometimes and find things to photograph. This is one of the more interesting photos to me. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
🙂
Also seen on that walk yesterday:
These 2 photos are a part of my collection called “Country Lane” – Avenida 8 Photo Gallery.
Washington Post Article: Pace of climate change shown in new report has humanity on ‘suicidal’ path, U.N. leader warns
¡Pura Vida!
