Category Archives: Animals

Butterfly hut

A photo of the butterfly hut at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

One of the new features at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is a butterfly hut. In it are rows of chrysalises and, after the appropriate time, newly-emerging Monarch Butterflies. I took this photo to capture one such, but somehow, neither the butterfly or chrysalises can be distinguished. Instead, there’s reflections and layers of plants and mesh and glass at different levels, which I rather like.

Asian Spiny-backed Orb-weaver Spider

The Asian Spiny-backed Orb-weaver Spider (Thelacantha brevispina) is an introduced species. Here, they’re known as crab spiders, which is how I’ve always referred to them, but they’re quite different to true crab spiders.

These are two different spiders, but give a good view of how they look, top and bottom.

An Asian Spiny-backed orb weaver spider in Hawaii

The Numbers Game #71

A beach at Kekaha Kai Park.

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

Ailanthus defoliator moth

An Ailanthus defoliator moth in Hawaii
An Ailanthus defoliator moth in Hawaii

I saw this moth (Eligma narcissus) resting on a piece of pipe and knew it was something I hadn’t seen before. A name like that suggests trouble, but I’m not sure how much. I couldn’t find much online, and nothing about its presence in Hawaii.

It’s a native of tropical Asia, and some subtropical spots in that part of the world. Its larvae feed on Ailanthus species as well as Canarium species. And that’s about all I know!

The Numbers Game #70

The beach at Honoka’ope Bay.

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

The Numbers Game #69

Clouds fill the saddle between Mauna Kea and Hualalai.

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

Evey day is Earth Day

Plants growing at a farm in North Kohala, Hawaii
A crop growing against a backdrop of wind turbines and the ocean. And, yes, that’s a monarch butterfly happy about the arrangement.
Papaya flowers and fruits growing in Hawaii
Flowers and fruits on a Papaya.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Earth Day.’ See more responses here.

I’m never quite sure what’s appropriate for Earth Day, but I figure nature, farming and renewable energy fit the bill, so here are some photos from a recent walk in the neighborhood.

Madagascar Jasmine flowers in Hawaii
A Madagascar Jasmine vine grows along a fence.