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The Sandbox Tree – Hura crepitans (linked to Wikipedia) in wet tropical lands in both the Americas and moist jungles of Africa; seen here on my walk through just one little part of Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, manzanillo, Limón, Costa Rica. It has a lot of other “Common Names” other than the “Sandbox Tree” listed as the official common name. My favorite of them all is the “Monkey No-Climb Tree.” 🙂 Yes, those scales are very sharp-pointed!
¡Pura Vida!
. . . Peacock Butterflies that is, at Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge: the feature photo above is of the White Peacock (my gallery link) and below is the common Banded Peacock (my gallery link) as the only two butterflies I was able to photograph during this year’s week in Caribe Sur, with a few others seen flying but never landing at both Manzanillo and Banana Azul.
¡Pura Vida!
Another new species of lizard for me! The Ghost Anole, Anolis lemurinus (my gallery link with only these 2 photos now) or you can check out the parent gallery LIZARDS (22+ species) (linked) where you will find 8+ anole species in the Genus Anolis, plus a lot of other interesting tropical lizards. Just more of the adventure of living in Costa Rica! 🙂 And yes, this one was found at Hotel Banana Azul in the Caribe. And because I went to Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on the last day there, all of those photos are yet to come. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
For those familiar with the Arenal Volcano area of Costa Rica, you know that name as the name of a Hot Springs Resort there, but did you know that it was named after a plant, Anthurium upalaense (Tabacón) (Research Gate article link)? It is much larger than the anthuriums in my garden and is found on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica with some also overlapping into nearby Nicaragua and Panama. The large leaves of the plant collect small dead leaves falling from other plants where they rot to feed the anthurium. That long red spadix is not a flower but contains many many tiny little flowers that are pollinated by insects and turn into many berries that are eaten by birds. Another amazing new discovery in nature for me! 🙂 And almost exclusive to Caribbean Costa Rica!
¡Pura Vida!
Another seed-eating bird found only in Central & South America, the Blue-black Grassquit (my gallery link) with the one above on a little bush or plant in the cow pasture across the street from me. This male was jumping straight up in the air from this bush about two feet or 60 centimeters as a courtship display, which I’m yet to catch an action shot of! 🙂 See more from there and from 6 other Costa Rica locations in my above-linked gallery. And/or read more about them and see their distribution map on eBird and a very good article on Wikipedia.
¡Pura Vida!
Wow! Not easy and not quick! I always have a lot of photos to process from Maquenque Lodge and here are the ones that I chose to keep in the appropriate sub-galleries. Click the image of gallery below to go there or use this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2026-07-2-7-Maquenque-Lodge-Boca-Tapada
¡Pura Vida!
Maybe the Satyr species I see most here, the Hermes Satyr (my gallery link) was of course seen at Maquenque . . .
¡Pura Vida!
This Tropical Checkered Skipper (my gallery link) and that linked gallery will show you that I have seen a lot of these in Atenas with this one at Maquenque the only one so far anywhere else. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
The Red Postman, Heliconius erato (my gallery link) is found from Southern Texas in the U.S. south through Mexico, all of Central America and most of South America. It is easily confused with the Postman, Heliconius melpomene rosina (my gallery link), found only in Costa Rica and Panama.
¡Pura Vida!
I don’t make reptiles a priority focus in my photography, but in a true rainforest of Costa Rica you will always see either the American Crocodile (my gallery link) which at Maquenque is only on a Rio San Carlos boat trip OR the smaller Spectacled Caiman (my gallery link) which is in the lagoons of the lodge. Snakes are seldom seen in the daylight and I no longer take the night hikes because I risk falling, but that is the best way to see them. This Spectacled Caiman was in a lower lagoon right at the water overflow location, probably hoping for a fish to wash over the dam. 🙂 Just one photo this time.
¡Pura Vida!
Read about the new species with the scientific name of Isthmohyla nacientes (linked article in Tico Times). It is a mountain tree frog living only above 4,000 feet.
For more information: A Facebook Page in Spanish
And Naturalista Costa Rica’s Post also in Spanish.
And a little bit on Wikipedia. All 3 articles can be translated to English by Google.
¡Pura Vida!
In the land of nature!