It’s been wet here lately and, when conditions are right, that translates into snowfall on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
Author Archives: Graham
Crowned jellyfish
Conditions weren’t great during a recent swim. Their were ocean swells and an onshore wind made the water choppy. The visibility was only fair, with a lot of coral polyps, the little dots in the photo. But then, literally out of the blue, I saw this crowned or crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea).
There followed a protracted dance where I tried to get close enough to the jellyfish to take a photo, without getting close enough to be stung (though my marine invertebrates book notes ‘The author has handled it with no ill effects.’). This wasn’t easy given the state of the water. The jellyfish just eased up and down quite smoothly, but I was swooshing back and forth with the water. So I’d get myself into a decent position, ready to take a photo, and a swell would propel me in the jellyfish’s direction prompting me to churn the water and head away.
The photos weren’t great because of this toing and froing and the murky water. This is the best of them, which I quite like as it captures the luminosity of the jellyfish as well as showing various parts – the crown with its arms on the top, the tentacles below.
A little later I saw another, smaller one of these. Normally, crowned jellyfish are found in deeper water, but sometimes they’re driven inshore by swells, as I think these two were.
Mele Kalikimaha to all
Season’s greetings to everyone and I hope, like this juvenile black-crowned night heron, that you get what you’re hoping for.
Horses plan a surprise
My take on this is that the horses were whispering about Christmas gifts and someone heard his name mentioned.
Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo benches
One of the features at Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo is the variety of fun benches around the grounds. Here are a couple of them. I imagine sitting on the one below would give a few people I know the willies.
For more information about Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, go to hilozoo.org.
Northern cardinal contemplating a mango
A northern cardinal stands over the remains of a mango, chewed over by one of the wild pigs, no doubt.
Sriracha the Bengal tiger
This week’s WordPress photo challenge is to choose your favorite photo taken in 2017. I’m going with a photo that I haven’t posted before (though below I offer a few of my favorites that have run).
This is Sriracha, a female Bengal tiger and cousin of Tzatziki, a white male tiger. Both can be found at Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo. What I like about this photo is those huge paws, the quiet movement, and the sense of great power that could be uncoiled at any moment.
For more information about Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, go to hilozoo.org.
As far as favorite photos already posted are concerned, I offer a few here:
Top. A gold dust day gecko drinking from a bird of paradise flower is a blaze of color (posted here).
Second. This photo captures the awesome spectacle of the lava firehose from Kilauea Volcano pouring into the ocean (posted here). Currently, while the flow is still active, lava is no longer entering the ocean.
Third. I was happy to snap the moment a passion vine butterfly laid an egg (posted here). This was taken on the same day as the gecko photo above, so a banner day for me.
Fourth. I like all the photos in this post for their color and how they capture something of this most Hawaiian of dance (posted here).
Finally, I love this gargantuan blenny for its name, and was very pleased to get this photo, since the fish is apt to dart away and the shallow water was rocking (posted here).
Tropical foliage illuminated
One thing I love about tropical foliage is how lush and varied it is. It can be so dense that it gets quite dark passing through thick cover, but when light penetrates, it creates a striking contrast. Here a shaft of sunlight catches a hanging vine or possibly the tendrils of some kind of epiphyte.
