Author Archives: Graham

About Graham

I take photos when I'm out and about, recording life on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Monarch Butterfly caterpillar

Yesterday, I posted about Aphis nerii aphids descending on a Hawaiian Crown Flower (Calotropis gigantea). After they were gone the plant continued to do well for a day or two. Then holes started to appear in the leaves and arcs along the edges.

Closer examination revealed a couple of tiny Monarch Butterfly caterpillars munching their way around the leaves. The Crown Flower is a favorite host for these caterpillars, so this wasn’t a surprise. We were also keen to provide an area for the Monarchs to thrive in. So we let the caterpillars be and monitored the situation.

What happened, not surprisingly, is that the caterpillars grew quickly. As they did so, the leaves of the plant diminished accordingly. I was gone for my weekend, and when I returned, the caterpillars had more than doubled in size. The plant though looked like someone had gone at it with a machete. We wondered if the caterpillars would devour the whole thing before they pupated.

When I returned to work after another weekend, the caterpillars were gone. As the Crown Flower was food for the caterpillars, so it appeared, the caterpillars were food for the numerous birds in the area.

The plant will likely recover from its ravishing and, once it’s bigger, it might be better able to accommodate the attentions of these caterpillars and in turn provide more cover for them from the birds. Or not! I will monitor the situation.

Posted for Becky’s Squares theme of “Walking” (see more responses here).

Aphis nerii aphids

Aphis neni aphids on a Hawaiian Crownflower leaf

I like hiking, as indicated by my last few posts, but I’m equally happy with a walk around the yard, at home or at work.

Recently, we planted a Hawaiian Crown Flower (Calotropis gigantea) at work. This was a stick with two small leaves on top. The two leaves dried up and the stem turned brown. It looked doomed, but then new leaves popped out near the bottom and the plant took off. New leaves every day, steady growth.

Then one day these showed up, little yellow drops, like tiny lemon candies. Close examination revealed legs and heads. Aphids! I think these are Aphis nerii, otherwise known as the Oleander or Milkweed aphid. These little sap suckers can do a lot of damage so we hosed them off, though I doubt the ladybug in the bottom photo was best pleased since aphids are a tasty meal for them.

Still, with the aphids gone, the plant continued to thrive until … (to be continued)

Posted for Becky’s Squares theme of “Walking” (See more responses here).

Switchbacks

A switchback on the Kilauea Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The Kilauea Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one of the most popular in the park, but I’ve never found it crowded when I’ve been there. It features two very different environments, the walk around the heavily wooded crater rim and the crossing of the barren lava on the crater floor, about 400 feet below.

Since the trail is a loop, one has to descend the steep crater wall at one end and climb up the equally steep crater wall at the other. At both ends, the trail is heavily switchbacked to make this possible. For the hiker, the positives of this are that the trail is less steep than a straight shot would be, and the switchbacks are good spots to take a break and get a variety of views.

For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/. Posted for Becky’s Squares theme of “Walking” (See more responses here).

The Kilauea Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — The trail across the crater floor.

A walk from Spencer Beach Park to Hapuna

On the Ala Kahakai Trail between Spencer Beach Park and Hapuna — The beach at Mauna Kea Resort.

A few days ago, I posted here an image from a recent walk along the coast to Hapuna beach. I thought I’d post more photos from that walk for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme of ‘Paths and Trails’ (more responses here), and for Becky’s Squares theme of “Walking” (more responses here).

The trail crosses beaches large and small.

Of course, besides the views I was on the alert for anything moving on the beach or in the air.

Other parts pass through trees and other vegetation.

The trail behind Pololu Beach

Pololu Beach is a popular spot for visitors and locals. The trail down to the beach can be bustling with people and the beach itself is often well-populated. But behind the beach, this trail through the trees always seems quiet. It leads to a gully that, in turn, guides the few who venture up there, to a bench overlooking Honokane Nui Valley. (Read about that here.)

Posted for Becky’s Squares with a theme of “Walking.” See more responses here.

Osmoxylon Lineare

Becky’s Squares is back this month with a theme of “Walking.” See more responses here.

A walk I try to do two or three times each year is at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. It’s not a long walk, but it winds through the garden where on each visit I find something new and interesting.

Osmoxylon Lineare comes from the Philippines and is also known as Miagos Bush or Green Aralia. At the garden, the sign calls it Eyelash Bush and the bottom photo gives a clue as to why that might be. To my mind though, the top photo suggest Eyeball Bush might be a better name.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

All quiet at Hapuna Beach

A couple of days ago, I hiked south from Spencer Beach Park to Hapuna and back. My main reason for doing this was that I’d heard Hapuna State Park was closed because of a broken water line. People were still allowed to get in the water there, but not stay on the beach or gather anywhere – a sort of return to Covid restrictions. I wanted to see how much difference this made.

When I got down there, the beach wasn’t deserted, but was pretty quiet, especially for a Saturday afternoon. Normally, there would be large gatherings and barbecues. Mind you, the beach in front of Hapuna Resort, at the top of this photo, wasn’t especially crowded either. Perhaps it was just a slow weekend.

Hawaiian Silversides

Recently, I’ve been seeing more Hawaiian Silversides, though not as many as in 2020. Still, there have been big enough schools of these little fish that sometimes I’ve found myself engulfed by them, zipping around in that wonderfully coordinated way that fish have.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii