A goat scrambles over the lava alongside the Pu’u O’o trail. Here, it’s probably transiting between kipukas, where there’s a good deal of forage growing, but goats seem to do fine in even the most inhospitable places on the island.
Category Archives: Animals
Green anole on ti leaf
A green anole surveys the scene from a ti leaf. Ti leaves start out a bold green, then gradually turn yellow and brown before dropping off. If the ti plant is pruned back, two new shoots will sprout from the cut.
Mare and foal
This mare and her foal were among several horses in a pasture alongside Old Saddle Road.
Watch out for that cow!
No, not a kamikaze cattle egret, but one gliding in to join the throng milling around the cows, waiting to snatch a tasty insect rousted by their grazing.
Lesser grass blue butterfly
A lesser grass blue butterfly spreads its wings before taking to the air again.
Gold dust day geckos slithering by
I love watching geckos in their daily activities. This can vary from the comical – those goofy expressions, to the impressive – leaping into space and landing safely, to the disturbing – an adult swallowing a young gecko.
Then there are things, such as in the photo, that I don’t entirely understand. I watched as the two geckos approached each other thinking a display of aggression was on the cards. Instead, the smaller gecko slithered over the larger one. I don’t know whether this was part of a mating ritual or one of the ways the smaller gecko acknowledges the territorial rights of the bigger one.
Bugs on a passion flower
This passion flower was drawing great attention from various bugs including a fiery skipper butterfly, a variable lady bug, and a host of flying ants, or possibly parasitic wasps.
Green anole bridge
I have a laundry line strung up between the house and a tall hedge. Besides its intended purpose, it also serves as a bridge for geckos and anoles commuting between the house and hedge. They can scurry across the span in a hurry when they want to, but usually they go a little way, pause and look around, then repeat the process. They’re entertaining to watch, the experience sullied only slightly by the knowledge that this rope bridge could also serve as a freeway for rats.
Graham's Island 