I think this is a Japanese aloe with its long tubular flowers and spiky leaves, though it could be a different variety. The flower stalks are quite long and reach well beyond the leaves, which makes things a little easier for this Japanese white-eye to feed from the flowers.
These two very distinct fish that are regularly seen near shore. The squaretail filefish on the left is distinguished by the white patch above the base of its tail fin, while the spotted pufferfish is black or brown and covered with small white spots.
These two aren’t traveling together, as some other types of fish do, to hunt or feed. They just happened to be in the same vicinity.
NEXRAD is the Next Generation Weather Radar operated by the National Weather Service, Air Force Weather Agency, and Federal Aviation Administration. There are 160 sites, most of which are spread across the United States. Four of the sites are in Hawaii, two of which are on the Big Island. This site is on Kohala Mountain, northwest of the summit. It’s known to local pilots as the golfball, for obvious reasons.
This weather radar network is a staple of online news and weather sites and shows the location and movement of rain and clouds. The Kohala radar features a pie-slice area of permanently clear weather to the northeast, which I assume is caused by the nearby topography.
I use the weather radar quite a bit and find it fairly helpful, though the weather here is quick to change. Weather forecasts, on the other hand, I find are more of a 50-50 proposition – they’re either fairly right (not too hard to figure out when the trades are blowing) or wildly wrong (all other situations). However, since it’s almost always warm here, I can’t complain too much.
For more information about NEXRAD radar, go to https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/radar-data/nexrad.
I know about surface tension, but I still like to see raindrops beading up. These are on an agave leaf.
Three goats crossing a golf course fairway while a pair of nene head the other way. What I like about this image is that they all look very purposeful in their progress, as if they had an important appointment to keep. Only the saffron finch in the foreground looks like it couldn’t give a damn.
Saturday saw the running of the 40th edition of the Ironman World Championships in Kailua Kona. This is the event featuring a swim of 2.4 miles, a bike ride of 112 miles, and a run of 26.2 miles. As in previous years, I participated in this event by walking out to the main road and taking photos, whenever possible from a nice shady spot.
Actually, this year’s race was run in prime conditions for the athletes. It was overcast with occasional light rain and only a gentle breeze from time to time. Consequently many records were set, including new course records for both men and women.
The top photo shows men’s winner and defending champion, Patrick Lange of Germany, zipping by on his way back towards Kona. Second photo, Great Britain’s Susie Cheetham heads out of Hawi. Third photo, Dan Plews of NewZealand (1685) leads Robin Schneider of Germany (2310), and Neil Eddy of Great Britain (2070). These three finished the bike leg in fairly close proximity, but after the marathon run, Plews finished 21 minutes ahead of Eddy and 45 minutes ahead of Schneider. Fourth photo, Jodie Robertson of the U.S.A demonstrates the importance of color coordination while cycling. Bottom, a large group of riders roll into Hawi, the turnaround point of the bike leg.
For more information about Ironman, go to Ironman.com.
This rich, green moss, growing on large bamboo canes, oozes softness.
Posted in response to this week’s Sunday Stills challenge on the theme of ‘Texture.’ See more responses here.
Green anoles display their dewlaps for breeding and to establish territory among males. When a male anole enters the territory of another, the holder of that territory displays his dewlap and bobs his head up and down. Often the intruding male will leave, but he might also return the display and try to take that territory. Such encounters can turn violent.
Male anoles will also display their dewlaps when their territory is breached by people, dogs, chickens and the like. In this photo, the male anole is displaying his colors at me, but with an air of resignation. I think this is because he recognized me and knew that I was mostly harmless and, no matter what he did, I wouldn’t go away until I’d taken a few photos.
Graham's Island 