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Rainforest Caiman & My Birthday Cake

There are two ponds here at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, and both can have Caiman in them, with a total of 3 Caiman living here, a smaller version of the American Alligator. They are a native wild animal in this area, seen in most forests and farms. The 2 shots on land were at the central pond and the water shot at the Caiman Pond along the entrance road. Below these 3 Caiman photos are three of me and my birthday cake last night when the younger staff members sang “Happy Birthday” to me – in English! The first time since I moved to CR 10+ years ago! I had gotten use to “Feliz Cumpleaños.” 😊

See more of my photos of Caiman in my Caiman Gallery.

Caiman at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica
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Heraldica Clearwing

The Heraldica Clearwing, Ithomia heraldica (my gallery link) is a common-looking orange & black butterfly that’s found only in Costa Rica and Panama say some sources, while others say from Columbia to Mexico. Either way, mostly Central America. Here’s a couple of shots from my trek on Calle Nueva the other day.

Heraldica Clearwing, Ithomia heraldica, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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2 Butterfly Peacocks

seen on Calle Nueva that morning are the same as what I have regularly in my garden. Check out my photo collections in their two galleries with better photos than these two:

Banded Peacock, Calle Nueva, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Copper Anole

This same species of Anole I posted in 2018 and thought then that one of my books called it a “Stream Anole,” but I am now using iNaturalist more now (but use both books & it) and this is the iNaturalist match for both photos of this species: Copper Anole, Abaniquillo Centroamericano de Bosque Seco, Anolis cupreus (my gallery link). It is found only in 3 countries, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala and here only on the Pacific Slope. It is interesting to see the big difference in how he looks when displaying his dewlap and not in these two photos . . .

Copper Anole, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Mexican Heather

Mexican Heather – Cuphea hyssopifolia (Wikipedia link) is sometimes called “False Heather” because it is not a real heather or even in the Heather family, just another unique Central American flower. This one was a “hitchhiker” with another plant from a nursery (Vivero), I think it came with one of the Lantanas that I bought and planted. Anyway, I like it as something a little different and have it in a pot with some Lantana where it attracts only those tiny little butterflies like Blues and Hairstreaks.

Mexican Heather – Cuphea hyssopifolia, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” – Gerard de Nerval

¡Pura Vida!

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Anything for a Parrot Pix!

Or it seems that I will do anything for one! 🙂 That is why I like going to the nature lodges where you can get closer to such colorful birds. Well, here are my step by step procedures for one of those many that come near my house (plus waiting for a blue sky!) 🙂 . . .

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Rounded Metalmark

He’s back! (And while the wind is still blowing!) As one of the most common tiny butterflies in my garden each year, maybe he is signaling the beginning of “butterfly season?” 🙂 The Rounded Metalmark, Calephelis perditalis (my gallery link) is only a little bigger than my thumbnail and yet is one of the most intricately-designed of all the butterflies. I even used a photo of one on my 2023 Christmas Card! 🙂

This one is the first of that species in my garden this year, but I expect there to be many more! 🙂 And a funny thing to me is that all my many photos of this species have come from my garden, not even one from another location in Costa Rica! But iNaturalist CR shows them all over, on both slopes, but with more in the hills and on the Pacific Slope for whatever reason.

Rounded Metalmark, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Rounded Metalmark, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Corteza Amarilla

Corteza Amarilla, Yellow Cortez Tree, Tabebuia ochracea, (Wikipedia link) is visible almost everywhere in Costa Rica this time of year, but only for a very few days or weeks, then the bright yellow, flowers-only trees become another beautiful green tree, blending in with the landscape they now contrast with. This week I’ve snapped a few shots of some around Atenas and you can see more of my past photos of them in the gallery labeled simply Yellow Trees! (which also includes Yellow-Bell Trees) 🙂 Below this one photo for the email version of this post are two galleries, one for my neighborhood and one for the central church at Central Park Atenas.

Yellow Cortez Trees at the Central Church of Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Living for the Unremarkable Moments

My life has been cram-packed with “remarkable moments” and experiences, both good and bad. One of the many reasons for moving to Costa Rica was to slow down with nature and sort of let my final years of life just “fade away.” A quote in a blog that I read said . . .

“Busyness and fear constrict us in youth; fresh air and nature free us in old age.” ~Anne Lamott

And so I yearn for days with nothing planned or no where I have to go. A leisurely breakfast and coffee with the online newspaper is a perfect morning, followed by a walk in the garden. Even with all the wind right now, meaning few or no birds or butterflies, there are always plants and flowers or buds like I shared yesterday or a gaze at the surrounding hills, a cow across the street, or another amazing palm frond contrasting with the evergreens as it just fades away. And so today I rejoice in the unremarkable! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!