Category Archives: Insects

The Numbers Game #24

The lava lake in Halema’uma’u Crater in April 2018. Two weeks later the lake had dropped 1,000 feet. Yesterday, Kilauea erupted again, but for just 12 hours before it was declared paused!

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

Two orange feral cats.
A gnat cloud at Upolu.
A grasshopper on a kiawe branch in Hawaii
A grasshopper on a Kiawe branch. Watch out for those thorns!
Mushrooms make a shady rest area for bugs!
A leaf cutter bee on Aptenia cordifolia.
An Hawaii ‘elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis sandwichensis).

The Numbers Game #23

A Giant African Land Snail on the move in Hawaii
A Giant African Land Snail moves forward with purpose, if not speed.

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

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

A Hawaiian Monk Seal and pup at Kekaha Kai Beach Park, Hawaii
A monk seal and her pup at feeding time.
A Japan Airlines plane taxiing at Kailua Kona, Hawaii
A Japan Airlines plane taxis before takeoff at Kona Airport.
Spear fishermen and their catch on the Kohala Coast, Hawaii
A couple of spear fishermen exit the water, with their catch, in North Kohala.
A Monarch Butterfly on a Tasselflower.
A Black-crowned Night Heron having a bad hair day.
A Lesser Grass Blue Butterfly opens its wings.

The Numbers Game #22

A Bristle-thighed Curlew snags a snack at Kiholo Hawaii
A Bristle-thighed Curlew moves forward to grab a breakfast snack.

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

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

An Indonesian Wax Ginger glows in the sunlight
A burgeoning Indonesian Wax Ginger catches the light.
A cow with its head stuck in a wire fence in Hawaii
Sometimes you have to move back after moving forward too boldly!
A view o Maui from the slopes of Mauna Kea
A view of Maui from the lower slopes of Mauna Kea.
two whitemouth moray eels wedged into the same space behind a clump of coral
Two Whitemouth Moray Eels in a tight spot.
A White-lined Sphinx Moth caterpillar on the move.
Passengers waiting for the first flight of the day from Kailua Kona Airport.

Autograph collectors

Bees on an Autograph Tree flower in Hawaii

I was at Spencer Beach Park when I heard bees. Looking up, I saw them all over an open flower on one of the trees. I’ve never seen so many bees on the same flower at the same time. As they left, others would be moving forward to join the party.

Bees on an Autograph Tree flower in Hawaii
Bees on an Autograph Tree flower in Hawaii
Bees on an Autograph Tree flower in Hawaii
Bees on an Autograph Tree flower in Hawaii

The tree was an Autograph Tree (Clusia rosea), which is native to the Caribbean and is something of an invasive species here. It gets its name from its thick leaves with a thin green covering. Kids scratch their names into the leaves and watch as they grow with the leaves!

Autograph Tree leaves in Hawaii

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #21

Sunken roads at South Point Hawaii
Sometimes, the way to move forward is unclear, as when navigating these roads at South Point.

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

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

Cattle and their egrets near Hawi Wind Farm.
A lunar eclipse over Hawaii
A lunar eclipse a few years ago.
Two Asian Swallowtail butterflies frolic on the wing.
A Whitemouth Moray Eel in the waters off Hawaii
A Whitemouth Moray Eel.
Acute Halfbeaks swim in the waters off Hawaii
Acute Halfbeaks swim just below the surface in the waters off the Kohala coast.

The Numbers Game #20

Moving forward. Having second thoughts!

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 141. Captions are on the photos.

You can see more responses here.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Move Forward, Reconstruct, Renew, and/or are Burgeoning. See more responses here.

An Hawaii Amakihi in a Mamane tree.
A green anole on a Ti leaf.
A White-lined Sphinx Moth.
A bee working hard in a Mamane flower.
A Praying Mantis hoping the photographer gets lost.
A Katydid says hi.

The Numbers Game #19

A Helicopter taking off from a ranch on Kohala Mountain, Hawaii
The photo number isn’t 140, but this still works. Watch out for that tub!
A Striped Lynx spider in Hawaii
An itsy bitsy, teeny weeny Striped Lynx Spider.

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 140. Captions are on the photos.

You can see more responses here.

An endangered Palila, a bird found only on the Big Island, Hawaii.
Rainbow off North Kohala
Rainbow over North Kohala.
Little fish and Padina japonica seaweed in a tide pool in Hawaii
Little fish and Padina japonica seaweed in a tide pool.
A fireweed control moth (Secusio extensa).
A Sunrise over Kohala Mountains Hawaii
Sunrise over North Kohala.