Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Mottled Owl and its scientific name is Ciccaba Virgata. The Mottled Owl can be found in Northern Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America and lives in extensive, diverse, and wild habitats.

The recent archaeological find on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio town – discovered during work on a sustainable tourism project – reminds us not only how steeped Belize is in Maya history and culture, but how deeply intertwined tourism and archaeology are in this tiny country.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the White-lipped Mud Turtle which is known scientifically as Kinosternon leucostomum. Pretty and personable, this turtle can be found in quiet waters with soft bottoms in southern Mexico and Central and South America.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Bay Leaf Palm which is scientifically known as Sabal mauritiiformis.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Piper Auritum which is commonly known as False kava or Hoja Santa. The Piper Auritum is native to Central and South America and the West Indies and can be found on forest edges. The above picture was shot at Chaa Creek’s private 365 acre nature reserve.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Pill Millipede and its scientific name is Glomeris marginata. The Pill Millipede is a very fascinating arthropod as it has twelve body segments which are dome-shaped. They are very secretive herbivores, making their home in soil and leaf litters.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Sapodilla Fruit and its scientific name is Marnilkara zapota. The Sapodilla fruit is native to Southern Mexico, Northeastern Guatemala, Belize and throughout Central America, and it is believed that the Spaniards introduced it long ago in tropical America and the West Indies.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Brazilian Red Cloak and it is scientifically known as Megaskepasma erythorochlamys. The ‘Brazilian Cloak’ is a herbaceous shrub that is very showy and fast growing. Being an exhibition of beautiful red/scarlet terminal flowers, this plant never fails to thrill its viewers.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Red Ginger and its scientific name is Alpinia purpurata. The Red Ginger plant, originally from the South Pacific, is a tall, ever-green plant which has bright red floral bracts and inconspicuous white flowers. Read more…

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Cowhorn Orchid and it is scientifically known as Cyrtopodium punctatum. This species of orchid is commonly found in diverse ecosystems ranging from Florida, Cuba, Central America and to Northern South America. Its dazzling flowers are distributed in the following Belize’s districts – Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, and Stann Creek.

Driving deep into the woods on dirt roads with Ben in a jeep, we arrived at The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s Macal River Jungle Camp. These little houses are called casitas.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Trumpet Tree and its scientific name is Cecropia peltata. It is a tropical, fast growing tree, with a tall ungainly open habitat of growth, which is widely abundant in the tropical rainforest. The local name, Trumpet Tree, comes from a tradition of the Ancient Maya who used the stems to make ceremonial trumpets.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Fireworks Plant which is scientifically known as Clerodendrum quadriloculare. The Fireworks Plant consists of over 450 species of trees or shrubs and is originally from the Phillippines.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Gray Cracker Butterfly which is scientifically known as Hamadryas februa. The Gray Cracker Butterfly is a butterfly of the Neotropic Eco Zone, South America, with its circulation area extending from Mexico, Colombia, the Caribbean Islands, to Brazil. It is one of the most conspicuous species of butterfly found at The Lodge at Chaa Creek.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Veined Tree Frog or Pepper-Eyed Tree Frog and is scientifically known as Phrynohyas venulosa. The Veined Tree Frog can be found in areas ranging from Mexico, Central America, South America, and some Caribbean Islands. It is a very uncommon species at The Lodge at Chaa Creek and can be found at lower elevations throughout Belize.

Today’s Belize Photo of the day is the Collared Aracari Toucan and its scientific name is Pteroglossus torquatus. This social toucanet breeds from Southern Mexico and throughout Central America making its year-round home in the tropical rainforests.

Today’s Belize Photo of the day is the Slaty-tailed Trogon and it’s scientifically known as the Trogan Massena. These magnificent and colorful birds range from Central Veracruz and Central Yucatan Peninsula, to Northern South America. In Belize, it is fairly a resident of Northern Stann Creek, Northern Central Cayo, and also in the Western and Central Orange Walk district.

Today’s Belize photo of the day is the White-crowned Parrot and its scientific name is Pionus senilis. This specie is a very common resident of mainland Belize and also ranges from the southern Yucatan to the Pacific slope in Costa Rica and West Panama. White-crowned Parrots are always spotted at Chaa Creek’s nature reserve but can most commonly be spotted at the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve as their habitat is canopy to sub canopy broadleaf and pine forests.

With a special twist, the wildlife of Belize is once again under the spot light with the latest mention by LonelyPlanet.com

Lonely Planet notes that Belize’s animal and plant life are the stars of the country, thanks to the conservation of its forests and reefs.

Today’s Belize photo of the day is the White-fronted Parrot and its scientific name is Amazona albifrons. This specie is also known as the White-fronted Amazon and nicknamed the Spectacled Amazon Parrot. It is named for it’s white patch of feathers on their foreheads and bright red coloring around their eyes.