Category: Atenas

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One Street’s “Tree Tunnel”

I love these! And there’s actually more than one place in Atenas where a tree spreads over the street like this, forming a “tree tunnel” that cars drive through and I walk through. There would probably be more if the power company wasn’t tree-trimming along most streets in town regularly. Here the tree is actually growing in the street and power lines are over the sidewalk and you can see that the sidewalk side of the tree has been trimmed and it looks like it is about time again!  🙂

“Tree Tunnel” on Calle Central, alongside the Sports Park, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Though not all of my photos, I do have an Atenas Gallery, a collection of things & places here, or for pix of people and activities here see my PEOPLE, FIESTAS & ARTS Costa Rica collection of galleries which is mostly from Atenas.

And in case you are wondering, “Pueblo Atenas” and its county called “Canton Atenas” is in the Central Valley of Costa Rica about an hour and a half from the Capital, San Jose. It is a coffee and sugar cane farming town of about 8,000 people while the canton has 25,000, thus many more live away from the main town. A lot of expats from the United States, Canada and Europe live here, more in the canton than the town. Rich Americans have built big luxurious homes out in the country nearby and do grocery shopping in town or other nearby supermarkets and big box stores around Alajuela and in other suburbs this side of San Jose. Because I have no car and walk most places, I prefer to live in town.    🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Unidentified Tiny Tan

And maybe that would be a good name for this one, “Tiny Tan.”  🙂  And for you butterfly specialists, it almost has the tail of a hairstreak but not the lines or colors and thus is probably one of the enumerable Skippers! But I could not find this one in my book! Here’s 3 photos of one in my garden the other day . . .

Unidentified “Tiny Tan,” Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

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Dina Yellow is Very Yellow!

One of the common butterflies here is the Dina Yellow, Pyrisitia dina, which I have featured more than once in the past, but still an enjoyable butterfly to share. Here’s 3 shots from my garden the other day . . .

Dina Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

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Tropical Buckeye

This has always been one of my favorite butterflies, even in the states with a slightly different version, seen a lot when in Florida. Here’s two shots of one in my garden the other day . . .

Tropical Buckeye, Atenas, Costa Rica
Tropical Buckeye, Atenas, Costa Rica

See my Tropical Buckeye Gallery for more photos of this colorful guy! And note that in earlier years here I called it the “West Indian Buckeye” and I was wrong then. All I have seen here are the “Tropical” and theoretically we may have some “Mangrove Buckeye” here, though I’ve not seen one yet. Probably down along the coasts in the mangroves!  🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Whirlabout

Though that sounds like me over the last few days and in the coming days, it is actually the name of a butterfly, Whirlabout, Polites vibex, and here are two photos of one recently in my garden.

Whirlabout, Atenas, Costa Rica
Whirlabout, Atenas, Costa Rica.

And what have I been so busy about? Well, several things . . .

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Fluffing the Great Tail!

Before I left on my recent Maquenque trip I caught a few shots of this male Great-tailed Grackle fluffing his tail in my Guarumo or Cecropia Tree. I thought it kind of funny, interesting and almost like art!  🙂  Here’s just 3 shots at different stages of his fluff!  🙂

Great-tailed Grackle fluffing his tail, Atenas, Costa Rica.

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Ceraunus Blue

This is my third time to photograph a Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus, including one other time in my home garden and one at Hotel Banana Azul in the Caribbean. You can see those other photos in the Ceraunus Blue GALLERY and other people’s photos from all over the Americas at butterfliesandmoths.org. This is one of those tiny, fingernail-sized butterflies and seems to be fairly common in North and Central America. Here’s my three different views of this one last Thursday in my garden . . .

Ceraunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus, Atenas, Costa Rica

 

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Rejoice!

A view of our tranquil little farm town from a hill in my neighborhood.
Plants up the driveway from my house that said “resurrection” to me.
One of the most joyful flowers in my garden, to me, the Flame Vine or Triquitraque here,

He has risen!

He has risen indeed!

¡Pura Vida!

For a few shots of old Traditional Easter Pageantry, see the trip gallery of my 2016 Visit to Granada, Nicaragua Easter Week, called “Semana Santa” en español.

PERSONAL NOTE: Tonight I will be at one of my favorite nature lodges, Maquenque Ecolodge in Boca Tapada on the Nicaragua border from which you can expect weeks of nature photos and maybe one tonight!   🙂

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Yellow-faced Grassquit

This common resident bird is found literally all over Costa Rica at most levels and this is my 4th time to see one in my Atenas neighborhood, with all other photos here in trees, bushes or on a fence, though their feeding is in the grasses! I have seen one across the street in the cow pasture grasses but without a photo!  🙂  I did get photos of him in the grasses of a meadow in Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde and I’ve also seen one at Celeste Mountain Lodge at Tenorio Volcano NP. See my other photos in the Yellow-faced Grassquit GALLERY. And you can read about them on eBird. He’s a resident, tropical, non-migrating bird found throughout Central America, the Caribbean Islands and the northern fringes of South America. Here’s 3 shots of this male in one of my Nance Trees . . .

Yellow-faced Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

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Mystery Insect with Shin Pads?

There are thousands of different species of insects in Costa Rica and I have no idea what this one is that I caught the other day in my garden on a Plumbago flower (Most insects don’t land on it because it is sticky and they can get stuck!). AND he appears to have little yellow shin pads or knee pads. Hmmm? Every day in Costa Rica nature there is a new discovery!  🙂

Unidentified Insect, Atenas, Costa Rica
Unidentified Insect, Atenas, Costa Rica

I will put him in my Unidentified Insects GALLERY where there are 34 species now with some much more colorful and interesting. Please contact me if you can identify any of them!

🙂

¡Pura Vida!