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The closest I’ve been able to get to an identification so far on iNaturalist is “Subfamily Coreinae Insect.” Then quickly after posting it, someone more knowledgeable narrowed it down to “Piezogaster Genus” (iNaturalist link) which is closer to a species name which hopefully someone will be able to provide there. Here’s two shots from the floor of my terrace from different angles (front & back) . . .
This very common butterfly is the one I keep seeing as many of the others are no longer around. There are much better photos in my gallery: Banded Peacock, Anartia fatima.
¡Pura Vida!
A new mural has been added to Atenas Central as encouraged by the Mayor to represent memories of the past in this medium-sized coffee farming town and I was glad to see that it included a Lesson’s Motmot bird! 🙂
Google AI Summary:
The new mural near the City Hall in Atenas, Alajuela, is called “Memorias Atenienses ” and was inaugurated on September 24, 2025. It is the result of a collective effort involving the Municipality of Atenas, the community, and the mayor, with the aim of creating an artistic legacy for the canton.
• Name: “Athenian Memories”
• Location: Near the City Hall in Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica (Adjacent the old high school building across from Central Park fountains.)
• Inauguration date: September 24, 2025
• Description: It is described as an artistic legacy for the canton, created through a collective effort and strong teamwork between the municipality, the community, and the mayor.
The town’s Instagram Announcement of the mural:
Atenas Internationals Facebook Page on the mural:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/158109054229981/posts/31682131621400980/
¡Pura Vida!
This is my first sighting of a Red Cracker, Hamadryas amphinome (linked to iNaturalist). I did post one here earlier that I called a Red Cracker, but later found out that it was actually an Orange Cracker. Still learning! 🙂
This Rufous-backed Wren (my gallery link) stopped in one of my Nance Trees, not for a berry (wrong time of year) but for an insect snack out of the little Air Plant growing on the tree. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
One of the most common or often seen butterflies in my garden is the Banded Peacock, Anartia fatima (my gallery link) and maybe also the most common in other places I visit in Costa Rica.
¡Pura Vida!
I’m glad this favored bird visits my garden often enough for me to see at least once a month now! See more photos from multiple locations in my gallery: Lesson’s Motmot, Momotus lessonii. Purely a Central American bird, found only from Panama to Southern Mexico.
The big yellow patch is what indicates that it is a male, while the female has only the brown spot on each wing. The feature photo is one typical view with a greenish/yellowish hew on the folded wings while the top of wings are usually a bright white like the photo below where the same butterfly is strangely contorted. See more of my photos of this interesting butterfly in my gallery: White Angled-Sulphur, Anteos clorinde. They are found as residents from Argentina to Mexico with migrants going into the Southwestern U.S. and Great Plains.
He’s becoming a favorite among the flowers and not sure he comes to the feeders that are dominated by the Rufous-tailed. See more photos from this week in the GALLERY: Blue-vented Hummingbird.
¡Pura Vida!
Who has always been tan for me instead of gray, but the spots and not the color determines what species it is. 🙂
See my other photos of this species in my Gray Cracker Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!