Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is one of the quintessential tropical plants with its exotic-looking, colorful flowers. While it’s common on the Big Island, it still hasn’t lost its wow factor for me.
For more information about this and other Hawaiian flowers, go to wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/.
I posted a photo of IO5 back on April 27. Since then, I saw him in mid-May looking about the same. Then a couple of weeks ago I saw him again and in the interim he had clearly molted. The green tinge around his head and flippers was gone and instead he looked clean and tan, silvery where he’d been rolling in the water.
One thing that hadn’t changed from previous sightings was his demeanor and activity on shore. Once again he looked supremely relaxed, stretched out in a tide pool.
Many Hawaiian monk seals look pretty beaten up with scars from encounters with sharks, boats, and goodness only knows what other perils of the sea. IO5 is something of an exception in that, currently, he has barely a mark on him.
For more information about Hawaiian monk seals, go to www.pifsc.noaa.gov/hawaiian_monk_seal/ or www.marinemammalcenter.org/hawaii.
I suppose I should have a series about things found on my basil plants since they are many and varied. This praying mantis won’t harm the plant and it might eat some harmful bugs, but it’s equally likely to devour beneficial insects. Still, I think they’re fascinating creatures and I always enjoy seeing them.
Dark clouds roll across the Kohala Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop to the turbines of Hawi Wind Farm.
A pair of baby convict tang putter around in a shallow tide pool.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
I came across this bird during a hike. Hunched on the branch with feathers fluffed up, I thought it wouldn’t look out of place on a Christmas card, if snow coated the branch and leaves. Not the case here though. The temperature was in the high 70s and I was sweating accordingly.
There’s a sizeable wild pig population on the Big Island and they can be both problematic and dangerous. A while back, a local woman was attacked by a boar in her garden. She got seriously gored as well as having her leg broken.
This one was puttering around the yard in the early morning, snacking on fallen mangoes. It took him a while to notice me, but when he did, he took off at speed.
The numbers around here have dropped since hunters began making regular visits and when I do hear the pigs moving about, they’re being a good deal more cautious than they used to be.
Graham's Island 