I came across this blob of black triggerfish just floating and weaving idly back and forth. Only the one had the coloration that is a sign of arousal and agitation, though it was drifting about much like the others. I suspect this was some sort of courtship/mating ritual going on, but it was quite ethereal to watch.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Cabbage butterfly
The cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) is an introduced pest that feeds on cultivated and wild members of the cabbage family. A larger member of this family, also called the cabbage or cabbage white butterfly (Pieris brassicae) isn’t currently present in Hawaii.
Alpinia purpurata ‘Tahitian Double’
Alpinia purpurata is also known as red ginger. This bright red display is not actually the flower, but the bract. The flowers are small and white and will appear on the top of this.
Bali House at Kiholo Bay
A good deal of the shoreline at Kiholo Bay is public land, but there is one short stretch that is privately-owned. Not surprisingly, these rare waterfront parcels are owned by the very wealthy. One such is a large, sprawling yellow estate just back from the beach, owned by the inventor of the pacemaker. A bit farther down the beach is this property, known to most people here as the Bali House.
The property is owned by John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patrón Spirits Company. DeJoria had traveled in Bali and loved the architecture, so he had this house hand-built in Bali. The house was then disassembled, shipped to the Big Island, and reassembled on this property. The whole process took around six years and when they were done, it started to shrink. Turns out the Balinese carpenters had used green logs from the Borneo forest and in less-humid Hawaii, the wood shrank and split.
Apart from it’s striking appearance, what I find notable about the house is how it’s set back from the beach and surrounded by greenery. The view of the ocean is almost what realtors call peek-a-boo. The house is also self-sustaining, relying on solar power and rainwater collection. This is most admirable, but I suspect I’d still prefer the caretaker’s cottage.
Abstracts: Light through blinds
Late afternoon light streams through lowered blinds to create this pattern on the lace curtains inside.
Snake the gecko
I first saw this gold dust day gecko in one of the pots on the lanai. It took me a moment to register that their was something different about it. When I did notice, I christened it Snake. Not sure whether the moniker is appreciated, but Snake continues to be an occasional visitor.
Bicolor chub
The bicolor chub’s distinguishing feature is that its rear third or half is dark. Sometimes, as with this one, the head turns dark and sometimes the back also, so only the belly is light.
Moon landing
When I saw these skydivers I thought of Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical essay “Excelsior! We’re Going to the Moon! Excelsior!” The connection was really nothing more than the title.
In this case, I imagined the captions as “Coming in for landing,” “Whoa, just missed,” and “Let’s go round again.” I bet this is along the lines of how the moon landings were faked!
The reality is these were part of Upolu Airport’s newest/only economic enterprise, B.I.G Skydiving. On this outing, a couple of solo skydivers had already landed. These two were on a tandem skydive, where a paying customer has the much-needed security of being attached to an experienced skydiver.
For more information about B. I. G. Skydiving go to skydivebig.com.
Graham's Island 