Wildlife Wednesday - August 2015

It's too darn hot.  The Ella Fitzgerald song frequents my mind every time I step outside right now.  We have had consistent weeks of 100+ degree F days, with many more weeks of similar weather ahead.  It is the time of year that I spend the least amount of time in the garden, and the least amount of time snapping pictures of wildlife in the yard.  But somehow, I was still able to manage a handful of pictures for Tina's Wildlife Wednesday meme.

Lizards

The green anoles and Texas spiney lizards don't seem to mind the terrible heat at this time of year.

Butterflies

Eastern black swallowtails are very common in my garden.  I normally have black swallowtail caterpillars chomping on fennel, dill, and parsley most of the year.  The Eastern tiger swallowtail, pictured here, however, is a much rarer sight in my garden.

This one stayed long enough for me to run inside, grab my camera, and grab a few quick shots.  Flighty butterflies, like this beauty, are always the most difficult to snap pictures of, so I got luck this time.

He/she is really enjoying the cotton candy lantana, which supplies ample nectar this time of year for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Bugs & Other Critters

This obscure bird grasshopper was found basking in the hot summer sun in the courtyard.

The gold and black dragonfly (pachydiplax longipennis) stopped for just long enough for me to snap a shot.  The dragonflies have really been buzzing about the yard quite a bit during this hot and dry spell.

A milkweed assassin bug (zelus longipes) hangs out on the tropical milkweed.  Maybe this guy is the reason why I haven't seen any monarch caterpillars this season.  Bummer.

These furry little caterpillars appear to be fall webworms.  They quickly munched down a bunch of my volunteer sunflower leaves.  Thankfully, I haven't spotted any of their webs in the trees, so maybe other predators got to them before they were too destructive.  I wouldn't mind a few making it to adulthood, though.  Their adult stage as a tiger moth is quite striking.

Some little spider that I can't ID, hanging out on the shed door (glad I noticed him before reaching to open the shed!)  Anyone know what this guy is?

And to end, some type of cactus bug that is happy munching away on the spineless prickly pear cacti.

Thanks for checking out my latest garden wildlife.  Be sure to stop by My Gardener Says blog for more garden wildlife from other bloggers!

Costa Rican Fauna (Part 3) - Manuel Antonio National Park

This is the final installment in this three-part series dedicated to the amazing wildlife I witnessed while in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.  One of our excursion days included a walk around Manuel Antonio National Park.  We hired a tour guide, which I would recommend anyone else visiting this park to do.  The guide could spot animals that, on our own, we would have completely missed.  He also had a telescope with him, which was extremely necessary for how far away, hidden, or small some of the creatures were.  We would have missed so much of the wildlife without the guide.  Many of the close up pictures were taken with an iPhone camera using the telescope's zoom.

Three-Toed Sloth (Perezoso)
Look at that cute little face!




Yes, I know it looks like just a pile of fur, but this is a sloth, I promise.

Common Tent-Making Bat

Green Iguana (Baby)

Helmet Lizard

Jesus Christ Lizard

Red-Eyed Tree Frog (with eyes closed)

Dinosaur Lizard (I'm actually not sure of his real name, but I think my name for him is fitting)

Ctenosaur

Ball of Wasps

Creepy Spider

Howler Monkey
The guys are one of the loudest, if not the loudest, land animals.  They can be heard over 3 miles!

Capuchin Monkeys

Central American Agouti
While this guys just look like big rats, they are a very central part to the ecosystem.  They are food for a lot of larger animals and they help replant the vegetation from the seeds in its droppings.

Manuel Antonio National Park Beach

Voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  A contributing factor is that you have to walk about a mile into the National Park to get to the beach, so there are no cars and roads close by.  What a beautiful place.