TRIP DAYS 1 and 2 (3/27-28): Hotel Bougainvillea, San Jose, Costa Rica
Crimson Patch butterfly
(Chlosyne janais)

Banded Peacock
(Anartia fatima)

Rusty-tipped Page
(Siproeta epaphus)

Rusty-tipped Page
(Siproeta epaphus)

Spiny-backed Orbweaver spider

Green or Common Iguana
(Iguana iguana)

Variegated Squirrel
(Sciurus variegatoides)

Variegated Squirrel

Variegated Squirrel, up close

TRIP DAY 3, Guided Day 1 (3/29):

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort
We took a walk around the grounds in the morning after we arrived and got settled into our cabins.
Common Basilisk
(Basiliscus basiliscus)

Urania Swallowtail Moth
(Urania fulgens)
We all thought this was a butterfly because it was out in the day time, but it keeps its wings open like the moth it is. They were abundant and we took to calling them 'buttermoths.'

Urania Swallowtail Moth
(Urania fulgens)

Urania Swallowtail Moth
(Urania fulgens)

Urania Swallowtail Moth
(Urania fulgens)

Carmine Skimmer
(Orthemis discolor)
After lunch, we went for another outing.

Black-winged Dragonlet
(Erythrodiplax funerea)

Common Basilisk
(Basiliscus basiliscus)

Green or Common Iguana
(Iguana iguana)

TRIP DAY 4 (Thu, 3/30):

Narrow Stingless Bee, on pepper plant 'flower' (see pepper plant in Flora gallery)
(Tetragonisca angustula)
From Drake Bay Wilderness Resort, we took a boat to Parque National Corcovado

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
(Choloepus hoffmanni)

Central American Spider Monkey, at Parque National Corcovado
(Ateles geoffroyi)

Central American Spider Monkey

Baird's Tapir, resting in a cool wallow
(Tapirus bairdii)

Baird's Tapir, not dead, just lounging

Baird's Tapir

Head of the Baird's Tapir

Baird's Tapir
It had found a secluded spot and the local guides took us off the trail to get a look at it. We kept moving around, trying to find a better spot for a photo, but never really found one.

A very serene Baird's Tapir

Central American Spider Monkey

Spider Monkey

Banded Peacock butterfly
(Anartia fatima)

Banded Peacock butterfly

White-nosed Coati
(Nasua narica)

Spider monkeys

Spider monkeys

Rubyspot damselfly
Genus (Hetaerina)
per iNaturalist

Dot-winged Rubyspot
(Hetaerina fuscoguttata)

Central American White-faced Capuchin
(Cebus imitator)

That night at the lodge, after dinner, we thought we might be hearing an owl, but when I tracked the sound, it turned out to be a Giant Toad (Rhinella horribilis).

Giant Toad
(Rhinella horribilis)

TRIP DAY 5 (Fri, 3/31):

You might ask why there is a photo of a palm tree at the edge of the Sierpe River in this gallery of animals. Well, look closer...

That line along the tree that looks like a water stain is a column of well-camouflaged Proboscis Bats
(Rhynchonycteris naso).

Proboscis Bats, in a row on a palm tree at the edge of the river

Adult Mantled Howler Monkey and infant

Mantled Howler Monkeys

Raccoons

Central American Squirrel Monkey

Central American Squirrel Monkey

Central American Squirrel Monkey

Green Iguana, walking across the street in the town of Sierpe

American Crocodile, in Rio Sierpe, in front of the riverside restaurant at Sierpe

Urania Swallowtail Moth, on our boat
(Urania fulgens)

Mourning Gecko, growing a new tail
(Lepidodactylus lugubris)

Wood Cockroaches
(Family Ectobiidae)

Genus Tiquadra

Green Colubrid Snake
Family Colubridae
Seen at the end of Trip Day 6 (Sat, 4/1), at Calle La Barca or Villa Lapas

TRIP DAY 6 (Sat, 4/1):

Common Basilisk

TRIP DAY 7 (Sun, 4/2):

Bumblebee Millipede
(Anadenobolus monilicornis)
at Carara National Park

Shimmering Golden Sugar Ant
(Camponotus sericeiventris)

TRIP DAY 8 (Mon, 4/3):

In the mangroves along the Tarcoles River
Racer Mangrove Crab
(Goniopsis pulchra)

TRIP DAY 9 (Tue, 4/4):

Red-eyed Tree Frog
(Agalychnis callidryas)
On the back of a palm leaf; shown us by one of the staff

Narrow Stingless Bee
(Tetragonisca angustula)
It had dug a hole in one of the posts holding up the roof of the restaurant where we stopped for lunch.

TRIP DAY 10 (4/5)

Ismenius Tiger
(Heliconius ismenius)
The rain continued at Arenal Observatory Lodge, so we went to Danaus Eco Center, where they had a butterfly enclosure.

Ismenius Tiger
(Heliconius ismenius)

Butterfly love

Ismenius Tiger
(Heliconius ismenius)

Common Morpho
(Morpho helenor)

These butterflies were drying their wings after climbing out of their chrysalises.

The underwings of the Common Morpho

A butterfly sampler

Malachite
(Siproeta stelenes)

Big Common Morpho and Malachite, with wings closed

Many Malachites, on fruit

Malachite
(Siproeta stelenes)

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog
(Oophaga pumilio)

TRIP DAY 11 (Thu, 4/6):

Mantled Howler Monkey
(Alouatta palliata)
In the trees along the road up from the Lake Arenal dam

Mantled Howler Monkey
(Alouatta palliata)

Genus Epipona, wasp nest, on the grounds at Hotel Bougainvillea

Wasps on the side of their nest

Closer view of the wasps

Silver Garden Orbweaver
(Argiope argentata)
In the garden at Hotel Bougainvillea on our last morning