2004 Costa Rica - Wilson Botanical Gardens

Wilson Botanical Gardens is a superb place to visit. There are gorgeous rooms (but a limited number of them; priority goes to researchers at the Las Cruces Biological Station). There's a family-style dining area with great food (including the best gallo pinto we had in Costa Rica). There are long walks through a huge garden of tropical plants. And there's first-rate birdwatching, both easy (on the central patio) and challenging (in the gardens and some nearby portions of Las Cruces).

About the only downside is getting there. Wilson is close to the Panamanian border. It's a long drive from San Jose down the sometimes-harrowing Pan American Highway and many miles of secondary roads cratered with suspension-breaking potholes. Security was much tighter in the area than in any other place we visited (with the exception of the airport) and we were stopped a couple of times. But in the end, it was well worth the adventures in transportation.

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Our room. Beautiful space, gracious design, gorgeous tropical hardwoods.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

View of the mahogany tree from our balcony.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Balcony of the dining room, site of much morning birdwatching.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Dedication.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Attractive bromeliad.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Another species of bromeliad.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Orchids.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Outside our cabin.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Heliconia.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Our cabin, seen from the grounds below.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Cicada shell.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Queen of the Night.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Queen of the Night.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Michelle with the Queens of the Night.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

I've forgotten what this is called...

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Looking roughly north from a mirador.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Plantains.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Young pineapple (pina), a ground-dwelling bromeliad.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Butterfly.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Date palm flowers.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Mahogany tree (bare during the dry season).

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Cicada.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

A stand of giant bamboo.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Ginger.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Balsa tree.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

One bird in the bush. (A Social Flycatcher.)

Wilson Botanical Gardens

A Cherrie's tanager on the bananas.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Silver-throated tanager eating papaya.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

The primary colors of birds. (Blue-gray tanager, Cherrie's tanager, and green honeycreeper)

Wilson Botanical Gardens

No one gets any of *my* papaya. (Buff-throated saltator)

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Cherrie's tanager and groupies.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Hummingbird at dusk. (Probably a beryl-crowned hummingbird, also known as the charming hummingbird)

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Blue-gray tanager.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Green honeycreeper and silver-throated tanager.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Fiery-billed aracaris in the mahogany tree.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Fiery-billed aracari in flight.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

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Crested Guan.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

The road to Palo Alto.

Somewhere near San Vito