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.  :-)

A Strange New Poinsettia for Christmas.

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! :-)

Flies or Fly-like Insects mating on a garden leaf.

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
Kahili Ginger Lily shadows as backdrop for Desert Rose in morning sun, 8:27 am.

¡Pura Vida!

More pix in My Home Gardens GALLERY.

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Another interesting butterfly not often seen, the Eastern Tailed-Blue, Cupido comyntas, in my garden. I have seen him once before in my garden as shown in my Eastern Tailed-Blue GALLERY.

Eastern Tailed-Blue, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Plain Longtail with Orange Smudges?

I continue to find what appear to be “new” species for me, though this one is pretty much identical to the “Plain Longtail” with the exception of a slightly shorter tail (he could have broken off the tip as he did the 2nd tail) and the “orange smudges” on the wings, large on top and smaller on bottom or side view. I’ll label this the Plain Longtail, Urbanus simplicius and let one of the coordinators at butterfliesandmoths correct me if they believe otherwise. These little detailed differences continue to be an ID challenge for me! 🙂 Here’s 2 shots, one side view & one top view . . .

Plain Longtail, Atenas, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Plain Longtail with Orange Smudges?”

Saltbush Sootywing

Saltbush Sootywing is the common name and the scientific name is Hesperopsis alpheus. This is a new species for me. And my ID is based on the Glassberg book where it is an exact match, but my photos don’t match the ones on butterfliesandmoths.org for this species, so I will probably be flagged and if so, I hope whomever can give a good identification for this butterfly, IF this ID is not correct. Note that the two photos are of the same insect on the same leaf within seconds apart, but the changing light or capture of the camera has them as two different colors. 🙂

Saltbush Sootywing, Atenas, Costa Rica
Saltbush Sootywing, Atenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

New Higueron Leaves Budding

Higueron Tree (Strangler Fig) Leave Budding – Atenas, Costa Rica.

NOTE: This is an old “Draft” blog post from December 2022 that I just found and since I like it and I’m cleaning up old files, I’m posting it quite late with more current reports coming! :-)

¡Pura Vida!

See my Flora & Forest Costa Rica GALLERY

The Savegre Trip Gallery Finished!

It took longer after this trip to put the gallery together with a lengthy flurry of activities and first of year requirements, but my Christmas Trip of 2023 December 22-28 — San Gerardo de Dota, Hotel Savegre is ready to visit with all my birds, other wildlife, flowers and landscapes ready to view!

CLICK this Gallery Image to go visit it.
Continue reading “The Savegre Trip Gallery Finished!”

Tuesday’s Birds

Well – the 6 that I didn’t erase from the camera disk! :-) I’m guessing that when I tried to erase one bad one from the disk, I hit something that selected all the remaining photos and erased them all. None of these are particularly good photos, but the 6 I managed to save, with the Inca Dove maybe my favorite photo after yesterday’s landscapes.

Tuesday’s hike was on Highway 707, southwest of Central Atenas. though not many here use highway numbers. 🙂 They say “the road going west of Cruz Roja to Pica Flora and Hacienda Atenas!” 🙂 Today we are going on Calle Balsilla, south of Atenas, or “a farming road near the Chucas Hydroelectric Dam and lake south of Ruta 27 on Rio Tarcoles.” And maybe I will get some more photos that I don’t erase! :-) Then tomorrow we go to a nature reserve north of here near Palmares. I’m staying behind on photos while still processing those from Hotel Savegre! But it is fun! :-)

Keel-billed Toucan, Atenas, Costa Rica. Many flew over and landed in distant trees. 🙂

Read on for the gallery of all 6 birds . . .

Continue reading “Tuesday’s Birds”