A katydid waits on the corner of the lanai, its stick-like legs at odd angles, appearing broken in the middle. But if I get too close it will ping away, as those same legs rocket it to safety.
Category Archives: Animals
Gecko on a window
I’m constantly running in and out of the house because I’ve been distracted by something going on in the world of nature. I noticed this gecko on the outside of a window one night and rushed to get my camera. I particularly like the details of the underside of its feet, those miraculous pads that enable it to scoot around on any surface – up, down, or upside down.
I think this is a house gecko, but it could be a mourning gecko.
Goat on a lava field
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.
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.
