“There’s something magical about rooftops. You feel like you’re in ‘Mary Poppins.'”
~George Clarke
ROOFTOPS through my Higueron (Strangler Fig) Tree . . .
“Half in shadows & halfway in light…”
White Peacock Avoiding the Wind
White Peacock – Anartia jatrophae – I always prefer photos of the tops of their wings when open and spread out, but we have so much wind this time of year that they won’t risk being blown away by keeping their wings folded every time they land and even then their folded wings are like a little sail sticking up. :-) Though not as common for me as the Banded Peacock, they are fairly common all over Costa Rica on both slopes as you can see in my White Peacock GALLERY, though so far only at lower elevations. Here’s two shots from my garden the other day . . .
Glimpses of Poró Flowers through a Tree
From my terrace the Oró Tree across the street is hidden by my big Higueron Tree (Strangler Fig or Ficus) but when the light is right, I can see glimpses of the orange flowers through the foliage. There is another one up the hill above me that I’ve shown here before, seen more from a distance. Historically, these trees were planted on coffee farms to provide partial shade to grow better coffee beans. They flower between December and April all over Costa Rica, sprinkling the hills and forests with their bright red-orange flowers. See Google Search Photos. :-)
Sunrise in the Hills of Atenas
As seen from my terrace in Residencial Roca Verde . . .
Ceraunus Blue
This tiny little butterfly was new to me in a September 2022 sighting at Hotel Banana Azul in Caribbean Costa Rica, which I saw again there and in my garden in 2023, Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus! I liked it so much I chose one of my garden shots for the cover of my newest butterfly book, Pura Vida Butterflies, Second Edition released last month.
Of course I also have a Ceraunus Blue GALLERY with shots from all four sightings. Now here’s what I saw the other day in my garden, with two shots, even though not as good as my earlier photos :-) . . .
And what looks like a black/dark brown corner of the wing is actually a shadow of the leaf above him. :-)
That Strange Christmas Flower
This past Christmas I got a potted poinsettia for my terrace as usual, but the only one they had at the time I purchased it was the strange red with white flecks or variegations in the petals. :-)
More of my flowers in My Home Gardens GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
Flies or Fly-like Insects
That seem to be mating on a leaf in my garden. Just one more intriguing photo from nature! :-)
85+ funny insect photos in my More Insects CR GALLERY. Or for more similar to this, go to the sub-gallery Unidentified Other Insects.
¡Pura Vida!
Shadows
Sometimes people don’t see shadows . . . but I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny.
~David Hockney
¡Pura Vida!
More pix in My Home Gardens GALLERY.
Yigüirro
is the locally used Spanish name for the English-named Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi), the National Bird of Costa Rica, supposedly because the indigenous people believed that its beautiful songs in April brought the beginning of rainy season in May. It is mostly a Central American bird, found from South Texas to Columbia in South America. And yes! Their songs in April are beautiful! They sing their hearts out almost constantly until it starts raining, then they stop. :-)
See many more photos in my Clay-colored Thrush GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
Cerulean Dancer Damselfly
The Cerulean Dancer Damselfly (Argia anceps), male here, is one of dozens of blue and black damselflies with this one most often confused with the Azure Dancer and the Thorn-tipped Dancer (says the book), but because of the shade of blue, the size and the wing color I am declaring this a Cerulean Dancer! :-) But to be honest, with both damsel and dragonflies, I am seldom 100% certain of the identification and I use a Costa Rica specific field guide with nearly 300 species of damselflies and dragonflies included with photos! You would think that makes it easy, but not for me! The many similarities between species makes identification a challenge for many! This one was photographed on the railing of my terrace in Atenas, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica.
See my Dragonflies & Damselflies GALLERY with 50+ species! And many are unidentified! :-)
¡Pura Vida!