Giant Owl Butterfly

 

The

This strikingly beautiful butterfly is the Giant Owl butterfly or Caligo telamonius mamnon. Here is a brief description from Wikipedia: Caligo telamonius memnon:

Caligo telamonius memnon, commonly known as the giant owl or pale owl, is a subspecies of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.[1] This subspecies can be found in rainforests and secondary forests from Mexico to the Amazon rainforest in South America.[1]

The wingspan is usually from 115 to 130 mm, but can reach 150 mm.

The larvae feed on Musa and Heliconia species and can be a pest for banana cultivation. Adults feed on juices of rotting fruit.

Isabella Longwing Butterfly

 

The Isabella Longwing butterfly or Eueides isabella is described in the Wikipedia article, "Eueides isabella." 

Eueides isabella is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 65–90 millimetres (2.6–3.5 in). The uppersides of the wings is dark brown, with orange bands and yellowish markings on the edges of the forewings. The undersides of the wings are quite similar to the uppersides, but the edges of the hindwings show a series of small blue spots.

The flight period extends to the whole year in the tropical habitat. They are active even in low light. Caterpillars are white and black covered by long black spines. They are gregarious and they primarily feed on Passiflora platyloba and Passiflora ambigua.

Rare Albino Alligator

 

This particular albino alligator resides in San Francisco at the California Academy of Sciences. We used to have alligators in the canals in Mesa and Phoenix. An alligator farm next to a canal went broke and the animals escaped into the canal. Here is one account of the story: "Alligators in the canal is no fish story."

Timber Rattlesnake

 

The timber rattlesnake or Crotalus horridus, is the only rattlesnake species in the northeastern portion of the United States. Here is a description from Wikipedia: Timber rattlesnake.

Adults usually grow to total length of 91–152 cm (36–60 in). It was found in Pennsylvania that the smallest size females that could produce viable eggs was 72.2 cm (28.4 in). Most adult timber rattlesnakes found measure less than 100 to 115 cm (39 to 45 in) in total length and weigh on average between 500 and 1,500 g (1.1 and 3.3 lb), often being towards the lower end of that weight range. The maximum reported total length is 189.2 cm (74.5 in) (Klauber, 1956). Holt (1924) mentions a large specimen caught in Montgomery County, Alabama, which had a total length of 159 cm (62.5 in) and weighed 2.5 kg (5.5 lb). Large specimens can reportedly weigh as much as 4.5 kg (9.9 lb).

I have seen a lot of snakes in my lifetime including a fair number of rattlesnakes, some of them too close for comfort. The best way to avoid snake bites is to be alert and watch where you walk.

Lily Pad Patterns

 

Almost anywhere you go in the world, you will see interesting patterns. Here, the black shadows of the lily pads contrast with the deep blue of the sky reflection and the green of the foliage. The effect is similar to a Calder mobile. See Wikipedia: Alexander Calder. 

Eating in Abundance

 

This photo reminds me of eating out at a huge buffet restaurant. There is more food than you can imagine eating. This honey bee is almost buried in the pollen from the nectar. This is a prickly pear cactus bloom. March through June is the best time to see cactus flowers in the deserts of the Southwestern part of the United States. 

Heart of the Agave

 

This is a variety of Agave parryi. My earliest memories of desert plants date from when I was very young and we had several huge agaves in our front yard. They were impressive because as a small child, they were very large and had sharp spines on the end of each leaf. Here is a more complete description from Wikipedia: Agave. 

Agave (/əˈɡɑːvi/, UK also /əˈɡeɪvi/,[2] Anglo-Hispanic: /əˈɡɑːveɪ/)[3] is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas, although some Agave species are also native to tropical areas of South America. The genus Agave (from the Ancient Greek αγαυή, agauê) is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Agave now includes species formerly placed in a number of other genera, such as Manfreda, ×Mangave, Polianthes and Prochnyanthes.

Plants in this genus may be considered perennial, because they require several to many years to mature and flower. However, most Agave species are more accurately described as monocarpic rosettes or multiannuals, since each individual rosette flowers only once and then dies; a small number of Agave species are polycarpic.

Along with plants from the closely related genera Yucca, Hesperoyucca, and Hesperaloe, various Agave species are popular ornamental plants in hot, dry climates, as they require very little supplemental water to survive. Most Agave species grow very slowly. Some Agave species are known by the common name "century plant"

Well protected

 

If you are one of those people who like to pick flowers, you might want to think twice before reaching for this lovely prickly pear flower. Those long spines are stiff and really sharp. These flowers are impressive but best enjoyed from a distance. 

Golden Barrel Cactus

 

We had some Golden Barrel Cactus or Echinocactus grusonii growing in our yard in Mesa, Arizona. They are quite common as landscape plants in the Salt River Valley. This lovely group of cactus is in the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California. Here is a short description of this cactus from Wikipedia: Echinocactus grusonii.

Echinocactus grusonii, popularly known as the golden barrel cactus, golden ball or mother-in-law's cushion, is a well known species of cactus, and is endemic to east-central Mexico.

It is rare and endangered in the wild, where it is found near Mesa de León in the state of Querétaro, and in the state of Hidalgo. The population was critically reduced in the 1990s, by the creation of the Zimapán Dam and reservoir in Hidalgo. The cactus grows in volcanic rock on slopes, at altitudes around 1,400 metres (4,600 ft).

 

A Spring Smile as Winter Ends

 

We all need a spring smile as Winter ends in the Northern Hemisphere. I love plants but among all the amazing forms and types, I love cactus the most. Perhaps I relate to their prickly exteriors and their occasional beautiful flowers more than anything else. 

March is the time for cactus flowers

 

As I write this, I am looking out the window at a March snowstorm. Even though most of it is melting, I began to recall that March was the month to begin looking at cactus flowers in the deserts of Arizona and California. I took this beautiful photo about four years ago on a trip to California in May. 

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

 

The Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica is described as follows from Wikipedia: Arenal Volcano.

Arenal Volcano (Spanish: Volcán Arenal) is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around 90 km (56 mi) northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. The Arenal volcano measures at least 1,633 metres (5,358 ft) high.[2] It is conically shaped with a crater 140 metres (460 ft) in diameter. Geologically, Arenal is considered a young volcano and it is estimated to be less than 7,500 years old. It is also known as "Pan de Azúcar", "Canaste", "Volcan Costa Rica", "Volcan Río Frío" or "Guatusos Peak."

The volcano was dormant for hundreds of years and exhibited a single crater at its summit, with minor fumaroles activity, covered by dense vegetation. In 1968 it erupted unexpectedly, destroying the small town of Tabacón. Due to the eruption three more craters were created on the western flanks but only one of them still exists today. Arenal's eruption from 1968 to 2010 is the tenth longest duration volcanic eruption on Earth since 1750. Since 2010, Arenal has been dormant.

 

A Tree Fern

 

The term "tree fern" is a generic generalization of ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. Here is an explanation of many of the kinds of plants that are called tree ferns from Wikipedia: Tree fern. 

Most tree ferns are members of the "core tree ferns", belonging to the families Dicksoniaceae, Metaxyaceae, and Cibotiaceae in the order Cyatheales. This order is the third group of ferns known to have given rise to tree-like forms. The two others are the Marattiales, a eusporangiate order that the extinct Psaronius evolved from, and the order Polypodiales where the extinct genus Tempskya belongs.

In addition to those families, many ferns in other groups may be considered tree ferns, such as several ferns in the family Osmundaceae, which can achieve short trunks under a metre tall, and particularly ferns in the genus Cibotium, which can grow ten metres tall. Fern species with short trunks in the genera Blechnum, Calochleana, Cnemedaria, Culcita (mountains only tree fern), Cystodium, Leptopteris, Lophosoria, Sadleria, Thyrsopteris and Todea could also be considered tree ferns in a liberal interpretation of the term.

 Many things in the world we consider to be simple, turn out to be extremely complex. 

Lake Arenal, Costa Rica

 Looking from the slopes of Mount Arenal towards the huge Lake Arenal in Costa Rica. Sometimes, I wonder what my life would have been like if I had been born in the jungle rather than the desert. 

Looking down on the Jungle

 

There is probably no greater contrast for someone who has lived most of their life in the dry desert to live in a jungle. Likewise, for those who have lived in the jungle, deserts seem completely alien. I could walk through a cactus forest in the desert and avoid every thorn and needle. But when confronted with a solid wall of vegetation, all I could do is stare and try to figure out how to avoid getting bitten or poked a dozen different ways. I always reflect on my days in the real jungle when I see a movie where the main characters, wielding machetes, are hacking their way through the jungle. This is the top of the jungle, the real jungle is relatively clear except in areas where a giant tree has fallen or the trees have been cut down. Movies are movies and jungles are usually not depicted as jungles. 

An Ant Highway

 

In the jungles of the world, ants rule. You may have to click on this image to see the ants on this "highway." This particular ant colony seems to use this path for regular travel although the number of ants in this image is impressive. I did not get any closer to the ants to meet any of them in person and they all seemed too busy to give me an interview. 

Broccoflower

 

Some people do not like vegetables. My wife's family is the exact opposite of those people. They love any kind of vegetables, even broccoflower, eggplant, and spinach. I don't know if I had an opinion about vegetables before I married into this family. But I have certainly come to love vegetables. 

A Jungle Trail

 

I lived in the jungle for almost two years. One thing you learn about your first few days is that the jungle is extremely noisy especially at night. Whenever you watch a movie that is represented to be filmed in a real jungle, they always have a soundtrack that is supposed to sound like a jungle. They don't. The most common sound is a buzzing noise that wouldn't work for a movie. You would just think the movie had a bad soundtrack. Here is a link to what a real jungle sounds like. https://youtu.be/_hEN8q2g9qQ