I’ve heard of monkey trees, but is this a donkey tree? Donkey in a tree? Actually, it’s a donkey under a tree, staying out of the sun.
Category Archives: Animals
Fiery skipper butterfly
A fiery skipper butterfly, Hylephila phyleus, dips its proboscis into a passion flower.
Chinese rose beetle
This is a Chinese rose beetle shortly after I evicted it from the house. They usually get in the house attached to laundry that was hanging on a line, towels being a particular favorite. Identifying this bug helped explain the condition of the hedge behind the house, where the leaves are so perforated they look like lace.
Green bottle fly
A green bottle fly, Lucilia sericata, checks out a flower on a tree heliotrope (Heliotropium foertherianum).
Stump-toed Gecko
This gecko is nocturnal and isn’t often seen out and about during the day. This one was either running late, or had been disturbed from its daytime resting place. Its main identifying feature is that it lacks a claw on the inside digit of its feet. Sadly, in this photo, that feature is hidden on all four feet. C’est la vie.
For more information about this and other geckos, go to geckoweb.org.
Goat grooming
There are numerous wild goats on the island. This one, doing a bit of personal grooming, was part of a large herd at Kiholo Bay.
Cattle egrets
Cattle egrets are a common sight, particularly in rural areas. The name comes from their tendency to spend a good deal of time with cattle and other large mammals. Not only do they feed on insects and other small creatures disturbed by the cattle, but they also eat ticks and flies on the cattle themselves.
They’re not tied to cattle though. I’ve seen them trailing people mowing lawns for the same reason. That’s to snap up the insects disturbed by the activity, not peck for ticks on the person driving the mower.
When I see them in a field, by themselves, such as in the photo below, I always imagine them saying something along the lines of, ‘Hey, where did the cattle go?’
Young praying mantis
I saw this little fellow gingerly making his was across one of the windows. He was no more than an inch long.
Graham's Island 