Posted on

Laverna Metalmark or Laverna Calephelis

This species, Calephelis laverna (my gallery link) was seen almost daily last year but only a few times this year and it is one I have had trouble identifying with none of the expert identifiers responding to my submissions on iNaturalist or BAMONA. With the Glassberg book I gave it the Rounded Metalmark, Calephelis perditalis, identification. Later with more photos to compare with on iNaturalist, I changed to Calephelis laverna (mainly because of the bits of white on the border). iNaturalist doesn’t use a “common name” while Butterflies of America calls it Laverna Calephelis (reversing the scientific name word order which they generally do when there is not a known “common name” and BAMONA always follows Butterflies of America.

But I am still hoping for an “expert” to confirm or change this identification. Until then, this is my best effort at identification. It is found from Mexico to Brazil, so the location fits. Just one photo from my garden on October 1 and thus the beginning of October nature photos . . .

Calephelis laverna, a tiny Metalmark butterfly, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And Me Photographing in my Garden . . .

One of my gardeners snapped this shot of me trying to photograph another butterfly! 🙂

Posted on

Inca Dove

I’m glad that one of my favorite Doves was still around in September, even though this is not a great photo! 🙂 See more and better photos in my GALLERY: Inca Dove, Columbina inca.

Inca Dove, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Preparing this post two weeks and a day earlier I have decided that it will be the last of my photos made in September and tomorrow I will start posting only October photos! 🙂 And the October ones will most likely overlap into November. 🙂 I’m thankful to live so close to so much nature to keep my attention and bring me joy in my creative outlet. Share my posts and tell your friends about my nature photography obsession, this blog, and my unique photo gallery! ¡Pura vida! Retired in Costa Rica!

Posted on

Broken Silverdrop – New View

Most of my photos of this species and most in online systems show side views of the Broken Silverdrop, Epargyreus exadeus cruza (my gallery link) with this top view being the second top view on both iNaturalist & BAMONA, so a unique photo! And I have 2 top views in my gallery! 🙂 The feature and two other photos here . . .

Broken Silverdrop, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica (unusual top view)
Continue reading “Broken Silverdrop – New View”
Posted on

Rufous-backed Wren

Still one of the most common birds in my garden is the Rufous-backed Wren, Campylorhynchus capistratus (my gallery link). These two shots were made in September in my garden . . .

Rufous-backed Wren, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

3 Year Old’s Birthday Party

This past Saturday I had the privilege of being invited as the only non-family member to my driver & friend’s daughter’s birthday party along with both sets of her grandparents, aunts, uncles & lots of cousins! I did not take my camera, but made a few rough shots with my cellphone. Below are just 3 shots with many more in my online GALLERY: Montserrat-3-Años-Feliz-de-Cumpleaños. All of the cousins and family reminded me of my childhood with many get-togethers with cousins & all.

All but two of the teenager cousins conveniently had to leave after lunch 🙂 thus none of them in the photos. And one of my blurry photos I used as the feature photo calling it my “Art Photo.” 🙂 Translation: Piñata Pandemonium, but guess that is obvious! 🙂

Montserrat with Mom & Dad and some of the cousins t blow out the candle on her cake.
Continue reading “3 Year Old’s Birthday Party”
Posted on

Marcellina Sulphur

This is a new yellow butterfly for me this year with sightings in my garden in July, August & September as shown in the gallery Marcellina Sulphur, Phoebis marcellina. There are many different yellows as you can see in their “Family Gallery” of my photos: Pieridae – WHITES, YELLOWS & SULPHURS (40 species). I will never tire of all the unique species of butterflies found here in Costa Rica and the almost continuous finding of new species like this one. Tomorrow I will share a photo of a more common Yellow seen here, the Dina Yellow. But here is just one photo of the Marcellina Sulphur . . .

Marcellina Sulphur, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Boat-billed Flycatcher

At first I had these two photos lumped in with the Great Kiskadees, but eBird’s AI helped me realized that they have bigger bills and are shaped slightly different as Boat-billed Flycatcher, Megarynchus pitangua  (linked to my gallery). Not as frequent but the last few in my gallery are from my garden. One photo . . .

Boat-billed Flycatcher, in my garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Blue-gray Tanager

One of several birds that I’m seeing more of now, the Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus (my gallery link) lives all over Central America and the northern half of South America and is found literally everywhere in Costa Rica except the highest altitudes. He is similar to the grayish-green Palm Tanager and I have a lot of photos in the above linked gallery. Pictured here in my garden.

Blue-gray Tanager, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Posted on

Variegated Squirrel

This is the species that lives in my garden and is the most common squirrel in Costa Rica (with 7 subspecies) and I see them in most places I visit here, including different colors. In my gallery you can see my photos of 3 other species as well as this most common one, each species in their own gallery 🙂 . . .

  • Alfaro’s or Central American Pygmy Squirrel (just 1 photo from Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde)
  • Deppe’s Squirrel (3 photos, also at Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, my favorite reserve in Monteverde, where I also get the most species of birds in Monteverde!) 🙂
  • Red-tailed Squirrel (the 2nd most numerous for me with a dozen photos from 7 different locations across Costa Rica on both slopes, though considered “non-native”.)
  • Variegated Squirrel, (49 photos from 12 locations across Costa Rica, including both slopes and more than one subspecies or color-combinations.)
  • The only two of these that are “native” to Costa Rica are Deppe’s and the Variegated. The other 2 are “introduced” or “migrants,” kind of like me! 🙂

Just this one photo here. Go to gallery for more.

Variegated Squirrel, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!