This Heliconius erato (scientific name) has the English Common Name of “Red Postman” as opposed to the Heliconius melpomene rosina (my gallery link) which is often called just plain “Postman.” There is only a slight difference in both the red and the white bars on these two similar butterflies
And note that this one in today’s post has a very long Spanish Common Name here in Costa Rica: “Mariposa de Alas Largas de Bandas Carmesí.” See more of my many photos of this “Red Postman” Heliconius erato in that linked gallery. The two photos here were made near my room at Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica.
Erato Heliconian or Red Postman, Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa RicaContinue reading “Red Postman”
The most frequently seen dragonfly at Tortuguero this year was the Red-mantled Dragonlet – Erythrodiplex fervida (my gallery link). I saw them at both the Tortuga Lodge and on the Jaguar Trail in the park and in my gallery are sightings at Manquenque Ecolodge, Hotel Banana Azul, and Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge; all on the Caribbean Slope! Here’s three shots made this month in Tortuguero . . .
If there is one animal that you are guaranteed of seeing many of in Tortuguero, it might be the Green Iguana! And remember the differences in the two iguanas here: the Black Spiny-tailed lives only on the Pacific Slope & Coast while the Green can live anywhere but is more predominant on the Caribbean Slope. One photo for the email version and then a gallery of 6 different looks of the Green Iguana (my gallery link).
Every morning at Tortuga Lodge & Gardens there were two little flocks of two species of toucans directly behind my room eating berries from different trees; Keel-billed Toucans and Yellow-throated Toucans. Here’s just one photo of each species with more in my species galleries linked below the photos.
Yellow-throated Toucan, Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa RicaKeel-billed Toucan, Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica
See more photos from this trip and from many other places in Costa Rica, including my gardens at home, with a gallery for each species:
Keel-billed Toucan – On Caribbean Slope & in Central Valley (much of which is Pacific Slope like where I live)
This is one of the “resident” herons that do not migrate north during the rainy season. Same with the Black-crowned Night Heron, Boat-billed Heron (I shared a few days ago), Green Heron and other similar herons. While we did not see on our boat tour any Little Blue Herons, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets or Snowy Egrets because they have all migrated north until around October when they begin returning to avoid the winter up north. See more of my photos of Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea in that gallery.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
Yesterday was Independence Day in Costa Rica
And in the past I would have shared photos of the parade in Atenas, but the hot sun and often long time sitting on a little plastic stool or if early enough, a concrete bench is beginning to be too much for me, so no report on yesterday’s patriotic parade in Atenas. Here is Google’s AI summary of what goes on every September 15:
“Yesterday’s Independence Day celebrations in Costa Rica included the traditional “Foles” or lantern parade the night before, followed by patriotic school parades, flag ceremonies, and student performances on the actual holiday, September 15th, emphasizing unity, hope, and freedom. The day honors Costa Rica’s 1821 independence from Spain with national pride and cultural traditions.”
Jaco was the only town with a parade amateur video posted online last night when I did this. Jaco is a beach town west of Atenas and their parade seems more hectic than ours! 🙂
One of the several birds we saw on the Jaguar Trail in Tortuguero National Park was the Laughing Falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans (linked to my gallery) or you can read more about him on ebird. Just 2 shots shared here (more in gallery) . . .
Today’s article in The Washington Post titled England’s King Charles III lives another, slower life in Transylvania (Linked, but sometimes papers don’t allow non-subscribers to read, which is stupid!). But anyway, it reminded me of the “Nature Escape” I found in Costa Rica. 🙂 Transylvania, Romania has remained undeveloped with a high respect for “wildness” and has one of the highest species counts of wildlife and plants left anywhere in Europe! (Of course not near as many species as Costa Rica!) 🙂 But both Charles’s have the right idea! 🙂 The tranquility of nature is the best way to live one’s life, especially in our fading years!
Life is simple in this little village in Transylvania where all the roads are still dirt.
If you cannot get in The Washington Post article linked above, you might be interested in this older online article: Nature, Tradition & Privacy. And of course YouTube has videos:
It is just two minutes, saying why he likes the little village in Romania, while the next one below is a longer 18 minute video from the Royal Family giving more details of the village . . .
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks” – John Muir
It is a type of Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Oophaga pumilio (my gallery link) which is very popular with tourists and found in warm moist tropical forests on the Caribbean Slope and Coast of Costa Rica with a few overlapping into Nicaragua and similarly Panama, thus uniquely Costa Rican! 🙂 These two shots were made this past week in Tortuguero National Park, Limón; one on the grounds of Tortuga Lodge and one on the Jaguar Trail in the National Park.
Photographed on my last morning in Tortuguero (yesterday) and these are probably my favorite bird photos bird photos from this trip. 🙂 Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Celeus castaneus (linked to my gallery. I’ve seen this unusual woodpecker only one other time and that was in the South Caribbean, at Manzanillo. Tortuguero is in the North Caribbean. It is found from Mexico to Panama. And this is my first time to see a woodpecker eating a flower! 🙂
One of the lesser-seen butterflies is this Banded Tigerwing, Aeria eurimedia (my gallery link) found only in Central America and Northern South America. I think it is a handsome butterfly and I almost used one of my photos of it on my ’23 Christmas Card! 🙂
