Category: National Parks & Wildlife Reserves

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Rainforest Dragonflies & Damselflies

Here’s 9 photos of 7 or 8 different species of Dragonflies and Damselflies. After I got home I used my new dragonfly book to try and identify these guys, but the book has too many that are similar and yet not exact matches to these, so I still have a big ID job! 🙂

All were photographed on two of the many lakes at Chachagua Rainforest Hotel and one stream on the one day that was sunny during my week there. Be sure to see my photo gallery of Dragonflies and Damselflies (58 photos of 30+ species) and if you are in Costa Rica and interested in Dragonflies, the new book is titled: Dragonflies & Damselflies of Costa Rica. (Link is to Cornell Press, the publisher, but it’s also available on amazon.com and some bookstores here.)

One photo here for the emailed version of post, then 8 more photos in the gallery that follows online.

MAYBE Thorn-tipped or Big Blue Dancer Damselfly, Chachagua Rainforest, Costa Rica.
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Living on Water!

Yes, the above water plants are floating on a lake in Chachagua and living on the nutrients they gain from the water as do the plants below call “air plants” that live on the nutrients from both the tree (or vine in this case) and the water in the very humid air of a rainforest. A gentle reminder for us to drink our 8 glasses of water a day! 🙂

Air plants living on nutrients from the tree and the water in the air.
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Toucan at Breakfast

Yesterday morning at the beginning of my last full day at Chachagua Rainforest we had a Yellow-throated Toucan (eBird link) juvenile join those of us who were early enough. The waiter was feeding him fresh papaya which he enjoyed, but after a while he seemed to gaze into the forest where his momma taught him to find food and he was back into his natural habitat. But a few of us enjoyed his brief visit with the humans! 🙂 4 photos . . .

Yellow-throated Toucan at Breakfast Table, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Costa Rica.
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Heliconius doris viridis – A “Lifer” Butterfly

That’s the official name and commonly called just Heliconius doris (Wikipedia article link) or Doris Longwing, whether the red or blue version. Though not usually said about butterflies, this is a “Lifer” butterfly for me! First one to see or photograph! And if you count my “Lifer” fungus, this makes 3 lifers on this trip! 🙂 So my Heliconius doris viridis Gallery has only these 3 photos in it for now. This butterfly is said to be more common in the Amazon of Brazil, though I didn’t see it when I was there. 🙂

Heliconius doris viridis,, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Variable Seedeater

This Variable Seedeater (eBird link) Female was on my porch right after breakfast yesterday. We saw both male and female on the pre-breakfast bird hike but I did not get a photo of one then. They are fairly common all over Costa Rica it seems, feeding on seeds in the grasses mostly. See my Variable Seedeater Gallery of photos from all over Costa Rica.

Variable Seedeater Female, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Costa Rica
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A Fungus Among Us!

Phallus indusiatus (Wikipedia article) is the fungus Dictyophora indusiata. It might have been the most interesting thing we saw on our morning bird walk yesterday. At least it is new and different to me or my first time to see this “Bamboo Mushroom” or “Stinkhorn” with lots of other interesting common names around the world as it is found in most tropical forests of Asia, Africa, Australia and Central/South America.

Phallus indusiatus – Dictyophora indusiata, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Costa Rica.
Phallus indusiatus – Dictyophora indusiata, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Costa Rica.

And yes, Of course I have a Fungus Gallery with other interesting fungi in it like the “Pixi Cup Fungi!” 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Black-faced Grosbeak – A Lifer!

I decided to share the birds photographed just one at a time and this one first because it is a “lifer” for me or the first time I have ever seen or photographed it! Certainly not my best bird photo, but many of mine are just for ID and to show I’ve seen that species. On my pre-breakfast guided bird hike we saw maybe 22 species (some not sure of ID) and I got photos of 13 of those plus one more in front of my cabin for a total of 14 species photographed and identified. Of those I will share only the ones that I have decent photos of over the next week or two of Chachagua reports.

Black-faced Grosbeak, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
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Arrival at Chachagua Rainforest

We had to go to two different UPS offices in San José, but finally got my new debit card and were off to the forests! When I got to my cabin after treating my driver to lunch, I laid in the hammock and almost went to sleep. Did not explore much before the afternoon rain started, but here’s shots of the river swim hole and hot springs, both near my room or cabin and then some shots of my cabin.

The boardwalk between swim hole and hot springs on side of a hill.
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Park Sign at Night + Other New Views

Here are more views of the new Central Park Sign including a selfie and what it looks like at night and from behind! 🙂 My earlier reports on the sign did not include the finished product at night or from behind! 🙂

At night your eyes see the color of the art on the letters and thus not as bright as this white in my camera. And that white spot in middle of sun is yellow to your eyes, though still bright! 🙂
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