One of the birds that is almost always somewhere around the garden! See more of my photos in the Gallery: Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus. Just one photo today . . .
¡Pura Vida!
Great Kiskadee
Gray Cracker
This Gray Cracker, Hamadryas februa (my gallery link) is one of 5 different species of Crackers I have photographed in Costa Rica, every single one on a tree trunk, and they can all be seen in my Brushfoot Galleries. This one landed on my Cecropia Tree the other day for just a few seconds before flying off, with me getting only two shots at an angle. And yes, I know that he is not literally “gray,” but the previous one photographed that was even more of a tan color. He is identified by specific spots and not the overall color. Just one shot . . .
¡Pura Vida!
Young Adult Woodpeckers
And that is my first impression of these male & female Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers, Melanerpes hoffmannii (my gallery link). But these days everybody looks young to me! 🙂
Laverna Metalmark
What I (and others) have been calling “Rounded Metalmark,” I now believe are Calephelis laverna (scientific name), Laverna Metalmark, Calephelis laverna (my gallery link). A Google AI summary of searches on the differences in Rounded and Laverna Metalmarks show the wing patterns to be almost identical with possibly “minor differences in genitalia and primary difference being the geographic distribution.” With Rounded Metalmarks found in Texas and Mexico and Laverna Metalmark (some sites use just “Calephelis laverna”) residing in Central America and parts of South America, especially noted in Costa Rica by the AI. Thus I am moving all of my Rounded Metalmarks to Laverna. Here are two photos of the one seen in my Garden Wednesday (side view & top view) . . .
Malachite
This Malachite, Siproeta stelenes (my gallery link) was seen the other night inside my house on the window screen along with that Rusty-tipped Page shared in yesterday’s blog post. Both are in the Genus Siproeta or generally called “Pages.” Thus yesterday I called them “cousins” traveling together. 🙂 Here are two shots in different night lights, one on my camera and one my cellphone.
Rusty-tipped Page
One of two butterflies inside my house on a window screen 3 nights ago, this Rusty-tipped Page, Siproeta epaphus (my gallery link) was on the same window screen with a Malachite (cousins on the same page of the butterfly book) which I will share later. It has been almost a year since I’ve seen one of these and they are more impressive with wings open as you can see in my above-linked gallery. Just the one shot in the dark with a flash.
¡Pura Vida!
Giant White
There are many Whites and some are easily confused, but this one seems to be the most common in my garden and you can see other photos of it in my Gallery: Giant White, Ganyra josephina. Here’s 2 photos (when possible, I always try to get a side view & top view) of the one in my garden 3 days ago . . .
Plain-capped Starthroat
The Plain-capped Starthroat is new to me, thus a lifer or first time seen bird.
Tropical Buckeye
Another favorite that is not seen every day in my garden is the Tropical buckeye, Junonia zonalis (my gallery link with better images). This first one seen since May this year and not as good photos as others in the gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
¡Feliz Día de la Madre a las madres de Costa Rica!
This Julia reminds me of Juli
This brilliant orange butterfly, Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia (my gallery link) sometimes reminds me of my beaming special needs daughter, Juli, who died of kidney failure in 1997. She too was brilliant, hyper-active and unpredictable! 🙂 And only parents of other special needs children know what I mean. 🙂 She was the only true love in my life at that time and I will always miss her! Pura vida!
¡Pura Vida!
