Author Archives: Graham

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About Graham

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

Going to the Moon or Mars?

HI-SEAS site on Mauna Loa

HI-SEAS access road on Mauna LoaSitting at around 8,200 feet on the northern slope of Mauna Loa, is the HI-SEAS (Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) site. The dome is where a crew of volunteers stays, simulating what could face a similar crew living on Mars. The terrain has similarities to Mars, the crew can only go outside in space suits, and communications are delayed by 20 minutes as they would be in real transmissions between Earth and Mars.

Currently, I believe the dome is empty. The last mission, scheduled to run for eight months from February 15, 2018 through October 15, 2018, was canceled after a few days because of some kind of accident, the details of which were never released.

The second photo shows the approach road to the HI-SEAS site with a near full moon above. Public access to the site is not allowed for obvious reasons, but I do think it would be great fun to dress the kids up as little green Martians and take them trick or treating there. Imagine being inside the dome when there’s a knock on the door.

For more information about HI-SEAS, go to hi-seas.org/.

How long is a zebra moray eel?

Zebra Moray Eel

Zebra moray eels are one of the easiest eels to identify, their circular stripes differentiating them from any other eel. They feed mostly on crabs, which they crush with their blunt teeth.

These eels can grow to five feet in length, but are usually smaller. This one though is probably about as large as they get. The yellow tang near its head could be as long as six or seven inches, while the saddle wrasse at its tail tops out at ten inches. That would make this eel somewhere between four and five feet long. It’s certainly the biggest zebra moray that I’ve seen.

Four views of a Hawaiian garden spider

Hawaiian Garden Spider female underside
Hawaiian Garden Spider female top view
Hawaiian Garden Spider sideview
Hawaiian Garden Spider female side view

This rather large female Hawaiian garden spider (Argiope appensa) had spun a web in a place where I was able to gain decent access to it, so I decided to take photos from front and back and both sides.

The top pose is the one I see most often, with the spider perched on the underside of her web. The back view is the most striking, with its jewel-like top side of the abdomen. The two side views show how gently the spider sits on her nest.

A couple of days later, I saw this same spider on her web with the jeweled back catching the sun. I must have got a bit too close because in an instant the spider was on the other side of the web, underside toward me. I’m still not certain how she made such an instantaneous transition, whether it was through a hole in the web or zipping around the edge, but it was faster than my eye could record.

Kou tree

Kou flower and bee

Kou flowersKou (Cordia subcordata) is an indigenous tree that was also brought over by Polynesian settlers. It was highly prized for its wood, which was used to make bowls and other containers.

The flowers are beautiful, too. Less than two inches across, they grow in clumps, which are sometimes hidden by the shiny green leaves. The flowers are followed by small, round green fruits (seen in the photos to the left and below) which harden to a dark brown and contain white seeds.

The flowers on this tree were popular with a variety of insects including a honey bee, above, and a paper wasp (Polistes exclamans), below.

Kou flower and paper wasp

Kou flower and wasp

Kou tree

Place of Refuge from the water

Place of Refuge from the water

This is a view of Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, otherwise known as Place of Refuge. The pu’uhonua or place of refuge was a place that offered sanctuary to those who had broken laws or been defeated in battle. Reaching this spot meant they’d be spared and allowed to go home.

So this view is one that a young frightened warrior might see while trying to reach that spot. Hale o Keawe, the small structure with the steeply pitched roof, can be seen in the center of the photo. It sits on the edge of the pu’uhonua. To the right of it is safety; to the left death.

Fortunately that wasn’t my choice. I was just looking at fish.

Long-tailed blue butterfly

Long-tailed Blue Butterfly

I think this is a long-tailed blue butterfly, otherwise known as the bean butterfly. It’s a pest on beans and peas and also wild legumes. My only question about the identification is that the tail, normally seen where the black spots are, is not visible here. But it’s possible that this butterfly has suffered a bit of damage in that area. Some butterflies look so beaten up that it’s a wonder that they’re able to fly at all.

It’s resting on the flowers of a mamane tree.

Gang activity

Bird Wrasse, Bluefin Trevally and Blue goatfish

I happened upon this little gang of fish while I was swimming. At the top is a bluefin trevally, in the center a pair of blue goatfish, and at the bottom a male bird wrasse. Trevallies and goatfish regularly hunt together, often in the company of an eel or octopus. They try to flush out or ambush small fish as their prey. The bird wrasse eats mostly marine invertebrates but will also take small fish .

I often see fish like these hunting, but have yet to see any of them snag a meal, though they clearly are reasonably successful hunters.