Rainbow Chubs are rare in Hawaii. I’ve seen them before, though not often. These three were in an area where I saw two the week before. My fish book says they drift in as waifs from the Eastern Pacific, but I wonder if perhaps a breeding population is establishing itself in Hawaii.
This Fiery Skipper Butterfly, which I think is a male, rested obligingly in a hedge for a short photo shoot
This is a traditional barber’s pole out in front of the place where I get my hair cut. I like the print next to it too. It looks like my hair before I go in!
I photographed this recent sunset from the front lanai. It helped that I climbed up on the railing, which allowed me to omit most of the wires, poles, and automobiles! Photography is not without risks!
I’m happy to report that last week’s full moon was the final named supermoon of the year. These days, full moons remind me of the competitions where everyone goes home with a trophy; they’re all the best ever. This one was called the Beaver Moon for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. I looked closely at the photo, but couldn’t make out any large teeth or dams anywhere!
Plumeria pudica has white flowers with a yellow center, not unusual for a Plumeria, but its leaves are quite different, with a shape resembling a cobra’s hood.
The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 169. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
I know this fish as a Crocodile Needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus), a name explained by looking at the jaws and teeth. Elsewhere, it’s known as a Houndfish. When I first saw it, I thought it might have a bit of fishing gear hooked into its mouth. It was working its jaws up and down, as if it might be trying to dislodge something. But when I got closer, I saw it had a fish in it’s mouth.
The unlucky fish looks like a toby, probably an Hawaiian White-spotted Toby. Except the unlucky fish might be the needlefish because the toby has clearly inflated itself, as they do. Not only that, but the skin of these tobies is highly toxic. My fish book tells of a diver who found a frogfish with one of these tobies inflated in its mouth. The frogfish was dead, though whether suffocated or poisoned he couldn’t tell. He freed the toby, which swam away none the worse for wear!
Graham's Island 