Category Archives: Insects

The Numbers Game #46

A curtained bed at Kohanaiki Beach Club, Hawaii — One of the amenities at Kohanaiki Beach Club.

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 167. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

The front of Chaba's Joy Cafe in Kapaau, Hawaii — Chaba’s Joy Cafe in Kapaau,

A Carolina green anole shedding in Hawaii — Chaba’s Joy Cafe in Kapaau,

Skydivers over Upolu, Hawaii — Tandem skydivers earthbound.

A bee scrambles over a clover flower — Tandem skydivers earthbound.

Cornered

A small Black Witch Moth rests in Hawaii

This Black Witch Moth showed up on the back lanai recently and was noteworthy for its size. The moths I notice have a wingspan of 6 inches or more. This one was an inch or so across, and presumably a juvenile. It looked a bit beaten up, as moths often do, so I don’t know whether it will go on to attain its full size. Here, it’s having a rest, tucked into the corner, out of the wind.

The Numbers Game #45

A boy hangs off a yellow raft off the coast of Hawaii — A yellow raft on blue water.

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 166. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Monarch butterflies mating on a kiawe tree — Monarchs mating.

An I'iwi calls in a forest off Saddle Road, Hawaii — Monarchs mating.

Rust forms on a water tank — A rusty water tank.

The wall of the Ackerman Gallery Building in Kapaau, Hawaii — A rusty water tank.

Sleepy Orange Butterfly

A Sleepy Orange Butterfly rests on dry vegetation on the South Kona coast.

The Numbers Game #44

Billowy clouds over the Alenuihāhā Channel between Maui and the Big Island, Hawaii — Clouds pile up over the ʻAlenuihāhā Channel.

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 165. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A rainy day at Upolu Airport, Hawaii — A plane parked at Upolu under ominous skies.

A giant trevally in the waters off Hawaii — A plane parked at Upolu under ominous skies.

A black saddlebags dragonfly — A Black Saddlebags Dragonfly.

The remains of a building at Kiholo, Hawaii — A Black Saddlebags Dragonfly.

Stick Insect

When I saw this Stick Insect, clinging to one of the window screens, I realized that it had been a long time since I last saw one, at least a couple of years. Not sure why that is, but they blend in so well I could easily have looked at one without realizing it.

Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp

I see these wasps quite often, flitting about, with the little black abdominal part on the stalk vibrating noticeably. However, it wasn’t until recently that I identified them.

This is a Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp (Evania appendigaster) and it’s considered a beneficial insect because it’s a parasitoid, which lays it’s eggs in the eggs of cockroaches. The wasp’s offspring feed off the cockroach eggs, which results in a few less cockroaches in the neighborhood.

Alas, we do not appear to be running out of cockroaches, or seem likely to do so in the immediate future.

The Numbers Game #41

A small plane flies low over Upolu Airport, Hawaii. — A fly-in at Upolu Airport.

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 162. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A praying mantis and a fly — A fly on a praying mantis.

Street art in Hawi, Hawaii — A fly on a praying mantis.

A dry cow pasture in North Kohala, Hawaii — Dry pasture at Upolu.

Irrigation in North Kohala, Hawaii — Dry pasture at Upolu.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii