Heliconia

This is a heliconia rostrata, known locally as a platanilla. Some heliconias have flowers that hang down, while others have flowers that grow up. This plant's flowers hang down.

Heliconias are widely planted in gardens in Costa Rica. They are popular in part because their flowers bloom all year round. We have heliconias in the gardens around our condos in Tamarindo, although this is another of the photos that I took in the Lankester Botanical Garden near San Jose.

Check out photos of Murano, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Heliconia

Flower at Lankester Gardens

Here is another flower of the thousands of species of plants growing at the Lenkester Botanical Garden. I am sorry that I do not know the type of flower that is shown in this photo. Perhaps a reader will know and will leave a comment educating me.

Flower at Lankester Gardens

Orchids

This is a sample of just a few more of the 800 species of orchids in the Lankester Botanical Garden near San Jose.

The garden feature a trail that allows an easy walk through areas that feature bromeliads, heliconias, palms, bamboo, cacti and succulents, and more.

For visitors to Costa Rica who begin their trip in San Jose, the gardens are a nice way to get oriented to the different types of plant species in Costa Rica so that visitors will recognize and appreciate the plants that they will see in the wild for the remainder of their trip.

By the way, speaking of visitors, I should mention that an article in one of the Costa Rica newspapers recently said that although tourism is down a little bit due to the worldwide recession, it is not down very much in Costa Rica compared with other places. In 2008, there were more than 2 million foreign visitors to Costa Rica, which is very good for a country with a little more than 4 million people. Think about what the visitor traffic would be like in your country if the number of visitors over the course of a year equalled one-half of the number of residents.

Orchids

Orchid

I have not posted flowers in quite some time, so here is an orchid. 1,500 species of native orchids grow in the wild in Costa Rica, and you can see them on hikes in the forest.

The easiest way to admire orchids, of course, is in gardens where varieties are displayed in plain view, without having to go on a hike in the forest for an occasional specimen. I took this photo in Lankester Botanical Gardens near San Jose. It cultivates more than 800 varieties of orchids, and more than 3,000 different plant species.

Lankester Gardens was founded in 1973 to carry on the work of a British amateur orchidologist, Charles Lankester, who planted an extensive garden of orchids and epiphytes on his farm. When he passed away, the American Orchid Society and the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust recognized the importance of preserving his garden and took the lead in donating the 11-hectares (28 acres) garden to the University of Costa Rica, which maintains it for public visits.

Orchid

Sunset

This is a closer view of the same sunset as yesterday. As the sun descends closer to the ocean, the marine layer of clouds start to give a marble texture to the color of the sun.

Sunset

Sunset

It has been quite a while since I showed a sunset photo. Here is another sunset over the Pacific Ocean shown from the balcony of our condo on the beach in the Playa Langosta area of Tamarindo.

Today is Sunday, so we have again posted new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week, we are following up last week's photos from Venice by showing photos from Murano, Italy, one of the islands in the Venetian lagoon, famous for its centuries-old tradition of glass blowing.

Sunset

Dog retrieving stick

Here is a closer photo of yesterday's dog. The enthusiasm and joy of the dog is evident in the splash of the water as the dog runs back to shore to return the stick to his master.

I have a soft spot for Yellow Labrador retrievers, as this dog appears to be. While my two boys were growing up we had a Yellow Lab named Tortilla, as she was the color of a flour tortilla..

Dog retrieving stick

Dog playing on the beach

Some dogs have trained their masters quite well to throw sticks for the dogs to retrieve. What better place to play and retrieve sticks than the beach? If either the dog or master get hot, there is the refreshing Pacific Ocean to splash around in to cool off.

I don't know who was having more fun, the dog or his master.

Dog playing on the beach

Playing ball on the beach

This appears to be a father and son paying ball on Tamarindo beach. They were having as much fun as the dogs playing in the surf behind them.

The beach appeared to be a good place to kick the ball around. The beach was like an automatic ball return. If they kicked it to the right, the slope of the beach would bring the ball back down. If they kicked the ball too far to the left, the waves would bring the ball back up.

And if they got hot and sweaty playing ball, well, there's the refreshing Pacific Ocean for a dip to cool down.

Playing ball on the beach

Surfer celebrating

An instant after the photo I showed yesterday this surfer struck this pose. His clenched fist pump looks to be a gesture similar to Tiger Woods when Tiger sinks a long or crucial putt. I will certainly not diminish his sense of satisfaction with his surfing accomplishments. It looks to me like he has reason to celebrate.

Surfer celebrating

Surfer riding the crest of a wave

This surfer is riding the crest of a wave. He is extending his arms either to help his balance or to draw attention to his exciting form and adventuresome approach to surfing.

Tomorrow I will show you what happened to him next. Do you think he fell down and wiped out, or do you think he continued to ride this wave, surfing with a flourish?

Surfer riding the crest of a wave

Tamarindo Beach

This is a view down the main part of Tamarindo beach.

I have been showing a lot of wildlife photos recently, so now it is time to spend some time at the beach in my upcoming photos.

Sometimes people who are inquiring about renting one of our condos will ask the beach is crowded. Here is the answer. There is plenty of room on the beach, even in the main part of town. Although Tamarindo is a popular beach resort, in Costa Rica there are so many beaches and not very many people. Even during the peak time of the year, which is the Christmas and New Year's holiday season, there is plenty of room to set up a spot to enjoy the beach and to swim without being bothered by other people too close. It is nothing like the crowds that you see on beaches in the USA.

Tamarindo Beach

On the 7th day, we rest

Today is Sunday, and for many people that is a day of rest. What better place to rest than on a hammock, in the shade, next to the ocean.

I took this photo on the grounds of the Capitan Suizo hotel. The southern end of Tamarindo beach and bay are in the background, with San Francisco point in the distance. Langosta beach is around the corner to the left.

Today is Sunday, so we have posted new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week, we are taking you to one of our favorite cities -- Venice, Italy.

On the 7th day, we rest

Leaf cutter ant stumbles

I have posted leaf cutter ants previously out in the forest, but these attracted my attention for several reasons. They were carrying bright red leaves rather than the typical green leaves. This trail of leaf cutter ants was not in the forest, but was in a parking lot in Playa Langosta.

It appears to me to be a challenge for tiny ants to carry leaves much larger than they are, but the gravel added to the challenge, in comparison to walking across the smooth forest floor. In fact, in this photo it appears that there are two ants and one of them has taken a tumble off the higher gravel stone and is on his back struggling with the leaf as the ant right behind him has walked up to the scene of the accident.

Leaf cutter ant stumbles

A village boy ready to help with serving lunch

We had lunch in a little village after our wildlife boat trip in Palo Verde National Park. The grandchild of the family that operated the boat tour and a village restaurant was on hand and curious about our lunch. He looks like he is ready to help set the table.

The best way to do a wildlife boat cruise in Palo Verde National Park is to make arrangements with a tour operator in Tamarindo and to have them take you. They will make arrangements with a boat operator and a little family run place in a village afterwards for lunch. The road to the boat landings in Palo Verde National Park is a country road that has many turnoffs as it goes past farms, villages and through the woods and jungle. It would be virtually impossible to find the boat landings in the river without a local guide.

A village boy ready to help with serving lunch

Jungle

The coatis that I showed yesterday quickly disappeared into this jungle. A group of about 15 - 20 coatis darted across the road and within a couple of seconds they were gone. We walked in a little ways to look for them, but without any luck. As you can see, there are lots of places for an animal to hide in the jungle. We then returned to the comfort of our car and decided it was time for lunch.

I am sorry I could not get more and better photos of them. I did get some photos as they scurried across the road, but the photos were too blurry to show on this website, as the coatis were moving quickly. I will try to be more prepared and do better next time.

Jungle

White nosed Coati family in the woods

This is a larger view of the same photo that I showed yesterday. Yesterday I showed a cropped version of just the baby on the rock in the center. He was the focus of my photo.

But look above him and to the left. It will help if you enlarge the photo. You can see part of his much larger mother. The mother's head is patially hidden behind the tree, but she is looking back at me and her baby. There is also an animal darting away at the left edge of the photo.

We saw about 15 coatis running across the road in front of our vehicle, so I stopped and hopped out to try to get their picture. They were scurrying about and quickly disappearing into the jungle. I did not have enough time to frame my photos well, and in my haste to get a photo of the baby coati, I did not even see the mother. I apologize for not getting a good photo of his mother.

How do I know that the large coati nearby was the baby's mother and not the father? Coatis are raised by their mothers, without participation of their fathers. They are born in nests in trees in litters of 1 to 5. Female coatis travel in groups. Coatis are 45 - 70 cm long (18 - 27 in.), plus a long bushy tail that they usually hold upright when they walk.

The term coatimundi is sometimes incorrectly used. It is not a synonym for coati. Coati is an indigenous word for the species. Coatimundi was the indigenous term to refer to a male coati traveling alone.

White nosed Coati family in the woods

Baby white nosed coati

This baby white nosed coati was part of a group of about 15 coatis that ran across the road near our vehicle as we drove from Palo Verde National Park back to Tamarindo. Although coatis are classified as carnivores, like many Costa Rican carnivores, they actually prefer fruit to meat.

Coatis are part of the family of mammals knows as procyonidae. There are three species commonly seen in Costa Rica, white nosed coatis, kinkajous, and northern raccoons, which I have shown in the past on this website.

The white nosed coati's scientific name is nasua narica. In Spanish they are called pizote.

Costa Rica is unusual because it is one of the few areas of the Western Hemisphere where the mammal species living in the area today are the same as when Europeans first arrived.

Tropical mammals differ from mammals in temperate climates because they do not hibernate. It is too warm and they would expend far more energy sleeping than a mammal's body could store. Also, their predators and bothersome insects are active all year, unlike in colder climates.

Baby white nosed coati

Crocodile thrashing

The crocodiles that I have shown on this website have generally been rather still. I therefore decided today to show a crocodile in motion. I realize that you can't see very much of him, as he has kicked up a splash that has obscured the view of him as he lunged and spun in the water. A portion of his back is visible to the side of the splash. I stayed safely in the boat.

I once leaned over the edge of the boat so I could get an angle shooting up at a crocodile on the river bank and he darted into the water so close that he spattered me with mud. He surprised me with how fast he moved. The splash of the water in this photo gives an indication of the speed and force of crocodiles when the move in the water.

Crocodile thrashing

Our front doorway

Today's Monthly Daily Photo Theme Day theme is doorways. This is the front doorway of our condo building on the beach in Playa Langosta. The tree that you see through the doorway is actually on the beach.

What is missing from this doorway? How about the door? Like many buildings in Costa Rica, there is no door and the entranceway and corridors are open to the weather because the weather is always warm. Most hotels and restaurants in Tamarindo do not have doors or walls.

Our condo is directly through this doorway towards the ocean, on the left side of the central corridor. Yes, we do have a front door to our condo unit.

The condo building has a distinctive mustard and pumpkin color. A friend of ours, Tim Keneipp, liked the colors and view of the end of this corridor, with ocean and trees framed by the archway and he gave us a painting that he painted of the scene. Tim is a talented architect and artist whose works can be seen on this link to LeafDogArt.com.

Today is Sunday, so we have posted more photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site This week, we are sharing some photos of one of the world's most remarkable, modern buildings -- the Sydney Opera House.

To see how other Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the monthly theme of Doorways, Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Our front doorway

Spooky crocodile for Halloween

Lurking in the river.

Blood without heat.

Eyes of a killer.

Trick or treat.

Spooky crocodile for Halloween

Heron

This is yet another heron that we saw on our recent wildlife boat trip in Palo Verde National Park. I am sorry that I do not know the exact species. My guidebook on the birds of Costa Rica has photos of 252 species, but there are more than 860 species of birds in Costa Rica, more than the USA and Canada combined.

Maybe someone more knowledgeable about birds than I am will know the type of heron in this photo. Regardless, I like the black and white pattern of its feathers.

Heron

Great egret

The great egret is the largest of the egret/heron family in Costa Rica. They can reach 101 cm (40 in.) high.

You can tell the difference between a great egret and a snowy egret because the great egret has a yellow beak, but a snowy egret has a black beak.

The extra long tail feathers on this bird is a sign that it is the breeding season.

The scientific name for a great egret is casmerodius albus. They are known locally in Costa Rica as garceta grande.

Great egret

White ibis

Egrets and herons are very common, but this is a white ibis. The difference is the down-curved bill, which looks well adapted to spiking food without having to move its neck as far as would be needed for a straight beak.

The white ibis has several other distinctive features. It has a pink coloration on its face that is bare skin rather than feathers where the beak meets the face. In flight, it reveals black tips on its wings, which are hidden when walking. Its neck is also straight in flight.

White ibises are most commonly found in Costa Rica in the wetlands around he Gulf of Nicoya, which is exactly where I took this photograph. The Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park flows into the Gulf of Nicoya, which divides the Nicoya Peninsula from the area of Costa Rica nearer to San Jose.

White ibis reach lengths of 63 cm (25 in), so they are smaller than many herons or egrets. Their scientific name is eudocimus albus. Not surprisingly, they are known locally in Costa Rica as ibis blanco.

White ibis

Tico boys fishing

I have shown a few of the many crocodiles that we saw during our boat excursion on the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park. Here are a few local boys fishing in the same area. I hope they know how to stay out of the way of any crocodiles who swim or walk by.

Costa Ricans call themselves "Ticos." The main English language newspaper in the country is even called he "Tico Times," so it is not a derogatory term at all. It is derived from the practice of Costa Ricans of adding the suffix "tico" to the end of a word to form a diminutive version of the noun and refer to a small item of the noun.

Tico boys fishing

Crocodile and his teeth

I count 32 teeth in this photo. Assuming that the crocodile has the same number of teeth on the other side, that would make 64 teeth to grab, slice into and chew its prey. The extra large fourth upward tooth is distinctive of a crocodile and is a way to distinguish between crocodiles and alligators.

I am relieved that the crocodile did not attack the heron that I showed during the past few days. Fortunately, the crocodiles in the western hemisphere are not as aggressive as the Nile crocodile, but people should keep their distance nevertheless.

When people who rent our condos in Tamarindo ask about activities for their children, I always recommend the nature tours on boats in Palo Verde National Park. I describe it as being similar to the Jungle Cruise at Disney World or Disneyland, except that the animals are real, and the tour guides do not recite a memorized script of corny jokes and puns.

I think it is an enriching, entertaining and educational experience for young people, and for us adults too, to watch wild animals in their native habitat. The people who stay in our condos often tell me that they have enjoyed the excursions and that their children have returned home with enthusiastic stories to tell their friends of seeing crocodiles, monkeys and other animals in the wild.

For more photos of animals in the wild, at least the coral reef version of underwater wildlife, you may enjoy checking out our Viva la Voyage travel photo website. This week we have posted underwater photos from Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, west of French Polynesia.

Crocodile and his teeth

Safety for the heron

Fortunately, the crocodile was more interested in going into the water than attacking the heron. Maybe the bird consists of too much feathers and bones and not enough meat to interest the crocodile.

I suspect that the bird knew that the crocodile would not attack it, as it did not fly away, or even walk down the river bank, as the crocodile moved along side the bird and then went into the water.

Tomorrow I will show you 32 of the 64 reasons that this bird should be pleased that the crocodile went right past the bird and into the water.

Today is Sunday, so we have posted new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week, we have photos from the Cook Islands. We have featured some underwater photos because in the South Pacific, the beauty that you see above ground does not even scratch the surface of the beauty below sea level.

Safety for the heron

Is the crocodile moving in for the kill?

As we watched the crocodile lurking in the underbrush along the muddy river bank, the crocodile slowly slithered through the mud towards the heron.

I felt like I was watching one of the episodes of the old television program Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Where was the voice of Marlin Perkins calling to Jim Fowler, 'The heron could make a tasty lunch for the ravenous appetite of the relentless predator crocodile, whose sharp teeth and gaping mouth would devour the bird in one lightening quick strike."

Did the bird see the crocodile? Should we interfere with mother nature and shout at the heron to alert her to the danger? Answers tomorrow.

Is the crocodile moving in for the kill?

Danger lurks

Here is the crocodile that was lurking just to the right of the heron in yesterday's photo. Would this cold-blooded killer move in closer? Would the heron escape? You will have to return to this blog tomorrow and the next day for the answers.

Our boat in the Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park idled in the river so we could watch this episode of nature play out live in front of us.

Danger lurks

Another heron in danger

Several days ago I posted a photo of a heron walking across a branch to stay out of reach of a crocodile. During the next few days I will show another series of encounters between these species.

Tomorrow, I will show you what was lurking just to the right of this photo.

Parents, please do not fear the photographs ahead. This blog is suitable for children.

Another heron in danger