Elizabeth's Secret Garden

During my visit to Escuela Las Nubes, I got to experience the pool. After getting tired of just swimming, I decided to take a plunge on the diving board. The diving board has three levels, but I decided it too daring to jump from the highest level and stuck with the first! Nicole Acosta the daughter of the school’s owner and I, both enjoyed the pool. Even the dogs took a splash in the kiddy pool!   I got to see a Variegated squirrel at the school. Variegated squirrels are found from southern Mexico to Panama. They vary in color from snowy whites with gray, to reddish brown mingled with streaks of gray. They eat a variety of fruits, nuts, and vegetation such as bamboo. They also eat insects and the eggs of a frog! Variegated squirrels are quite playful as they race up and down Costa Rican trees. I was thrilled to get video footage of Variegated squirrel as it perched upon a thin wire fence.

  While touring Costa Rica, I had the honor of donating my manuscript “Elizabeth’s Secret Garden, A Study of Butterflies in North America” to the Las Nubes School. In the picture above is Eduardo Acosta who built Escuela Las Nubes. My manuscript will be kept in the library where all the children and teachers can read and enjoy it. You can watch the video below.   The Las Nubes School is unique in that it has it’s own butterfly pavilion. The school is concerned about the environment and takes care to teach the students about conserving the beauty of Costa Rica. Inside the butterfly pavilion, I captured some photos of the flowers grown within.  This is a Banded Peacock butterfly which is a common sight in Costa Rica. Their range is from the southern United States (wanders to Texas), through Mexico, and Central America. The Banded Peacock makes a great subject for photography. The photo above is one of my favorites. Butterfly photography ta...

  While touring Jaco, Costa Rica, I had the pleasure of visiting the Las Nubes school. Las Nubes is a bilingual school that was built by Mr. Eduardo Acosta. Escuela Las Nubes Review     In the picture with me, is Mr. Eduardo Acosta and his daughter Nicole Acosta. Mr. Acosta is the author of the Hope book. Hope is a story about a turtle who endures hardship as its environment at Cocos Island is destroyed by overfishing and pollution. Even through this destruction, their is still Hope who continues to survive. This Spanish book is a great example of the environmental issues we continue to struggle with today, but we can find courage in knowing there is always hope . Our family is friends with Mr. Acosta and sponsored 100 of his books to be distributed to school children. As a gift, Mr. Acosta gave me a personally signed Hope book and then a second one signed to my family. At the entrance to the Las Nubes School is the entrance sign which has the Hope turtle sit...

After my mom and I toured Manuel Antonio, we took a bus to Jaco. We showed the bus driver our destination of Hotel Green, but he dropped us off blocks away. We had no idea where we were as we searched for the hotel. Thankfully we were rescued for there was a lady who spoke good English and was able to point us in the right direction. Hotel Green is environmentally friendly. They have recycling bins and eco friendly soaps available for use. The luxuries at the hotel include a pool, TVs in each room, warm water, social areas, and WiFi connection. In Costa Rica these are considered luxuries! (Can you find me in the picture above?) Under this open aired hut, breakfast is served.  To find out more about Hotel Green and contact information visit The Costa Rica News website http://thecostaricanews.com/feature1/hotel-green-travel-special/1429   Tropical Flowers of Costa Rica Below are pictures of flowers I photographed around Hotel Green. The photos turned out beaut...

Fincas Naturales Wildlife Refuge is a 25 acre private wildlife refuge which features various nature exhibits and trails. In my previous posting, I wrote about my tour of the crocodile lagoons at Fincas Naturales. Next, I will share my journey through the butterfly lab and butterfly botanical gardens. http://www.wildliferefugecr.com/wildlife_refuge_costa_rica_exhibits_butterfly.html   In the butterfly lab at Fincas Naturales, the butterfly’s complete lifecycle can be observed first hand. The journey begins with observing the tiny butterfly eggs inside small glass containers. Next, different caterpillar species can be observed as they feed on their food plant inside the enclosed boxes pictured above. The chrysalis is the final stage contained in the lab. The emerged butterflies are then released into the enclosed butterfly atrium. Inside the butterfly lab is a large display case containing various butterflies of Costa Rica and other giant bugs. There is also a microscope ...

After we left our tour of Manuel Antonio National Park, we took a short bus ride to Fincas Naturales Wildlife Refuge. Fincas Naturales is 25 acres of private wildlife refuge and trails.   http://www.wildliferefugecr.com/ Our first tour was in the Reptile Lagoons. In the above picture there is a Jesus Christ Lizard and a Heron. Can you find them in the photo? My mom and I had trouble spotting them in their habitat. In the picture below, I have place red arrows where they are sitting. To observe the reptiles, I walked along a metal bridge suspended above the lagoons that held the different species of reptiles. The refuge has successfully raised and released twenty Boa Constrictors back into the wild. Boas are endangered due to being hunted for their skins and captured to be sold in pet shops. Next we moved into the butterfly pavilion which will be my next posting.