The northern mockingbird arrived in Hawaii in 1928 and is quite common now. It is most easily seen when it perches at the top of a tree and sings, as in the photo to the left. Later, this one descended into the heart of a kiawe tree where it looked out from the tangle of branches and thorns.
Yesterday, I posted about a visit to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden with Terri, from Second Wind Leisure Perspectives. These photos are of one very interesting plant we saw toward the end of our tour. The spectacular pink bloom sprouted from the end of a single stem. This was definitely something I hadn’t seen before. I took several photos, including these two.
A few steps farther up the path, was a shaving brush tree (thanks for ID Terri) and on the ground around it were numerous pink blooms, remarkably similar to those of this mystery plant. Across from the shaving brush tree, a different shrub altogether sported the same bloom.
Someone had been having an entertaining visit, placing shaving brush blooms on an assortment of plants, but it had been well done and I thought it appropriate for today’s post.
Coconut orchids (Maxillaria tenuifolia) are originally from Central America. They’re noteworthy for their flowers’ blood red color and a coconut scent. I admit, I didn’t detect much scent, but my sense of smell is not exactly acute. The flowers bloom in spring for a week or more.
I saw this orchid at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden during a visit with Terri, from Second Wind Leisure Perspectives, who was visiting the Big Island for a week. Terri hosts the Sunday Stills challenge and her theme this week, coincidentally, is ‘Tropical.’ See more responses here.
We had a good stroll around the garden taking the usual slew of photos. Though I’m a regular visitor to the garden I always see new things, and this coconut orchid was one. For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.
Also posted in response to this week’s Friendly Friday challenge on the theme of ‘Feelings of Spring.’ See more responses here.
I just liked the image of the half moon perched atop these power lines.
I think this is Pu’u Kaliali, southeast of Waimea, catching a patch of late afternoon sun on an otherwise cloudy day. Waimea is the home to Parker Ranch, the second largest ranch in the U.S.A – there’s a bigger one in Texas of course. The rolling pasture land in the area is home to a large contingent of cattle.
I was driving down Old Saddle Road when I passed this tableau. I thought they’d take off, but I pulled over, walked back up the road, and saw the three of them still there. I took a few photos before the little one wandered off, followed by the other two. It was only as I walked back to the car that I realized there was a whole herd of goats mostly hidden in the long grasses.
The Oscar Elton Sette is a ship operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This former U.S. Navy ship was transferred to NOAA in 1992 and is used as a research vessel. It’s equipped with multiple options for the collection of specimens as well as being set up to conduct operations involving up to four divers.
The ship is named after Oscar Elton Sette, who was the first director of the Honolulu Laboratory of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In the photo, the ship was off the west coast of the Big Island, engaged in a survey of bottom fish.
For more information about the vessel Oscar Elton Sette, go to www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/marine-operations/ships/oscar-elton-sette.
This little lemon-yellow beauty is a juvenile Commerson’s frogfish. Frogfish are rarely seen by snorkelers because they blend in so beautifully. Typically they look like bits of the reef but some, such as this one, mimic sponges and so are more easily seen.
Frogfish are anglers. They sit motionless on the bottom. When potential prey approaches, they flick their first dorsal fin forward. This is tipped with a fleshy lure that hangs over its mouth. If the prey takes the bait, the frogfish strikes. It can expand its mouth to swallow quite large fish and it strikes with such speed that other fish in the vicinity are generally unaware what’s happened, thus allowing the frogfish to remain in place and continue fishing.
In this photo, the frogfish’s eyes and mouth are visible, as are its pectoral fins that are adapted to help it hang on to the reef and to move about.
This frogfish was spotted by my wife and we watched it for a while before we were interrupted by three whales breaching. They were half-a-mile or more away, but this was the first time I’d seen whale activity from the water and it was pretty impressive, if almost impossible to photograph.
When the whales settled down, I dipped my head below the water to try and locate the frogfish again and the first thing I saw was a white-tipped reef shark cruising by. I suspect it had been attracted by my feeble attempts to dive and photograph the frogfish, probably thinking there was some easy prey to be had. It quickly disappeared again, but it made for a memorable few minutes.
Graham's Island 