Category Archives: Animals

Orange is the new theme

A Passion vine butterfly spreads its wings

This month’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Orange and Gold.’ See more responses here. First up is a very orange Passion Vine Butterfly taking a break.

Next, orange is the official color of the island of Lanai, represented here at this year’s Kamehameha Day celebrations.

A rider at the Kamehameha Day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii

Fish swim in one of the golden pools at Keawaiki, Hawaii — A spot of gold at Keawaiki.

An orange Bitter Melon fruit in Hawaii — A spot of gold at Keawaiki.

When I was putting this post together a few days ago, I thought a sunset photo would be a nice way to wrap it up. I trolled through my files before picking a suitable one out, and was on the verge of processing it, when I happened to glance out of the window and saw this developing. Another reminder to live in the present and not the past!

The lady beetle wears the crown

A Hawaiian crown flower with variable lady beetle inside

I found this Hawaiian Crown Flower (Calotropis gigantea) occupied by a Variable Lady Beetle, which gives a good idea of how small the flower is.

Gecko watching

A gecko peeks out from between the boards of a lanai in Hawaii

I was trying to take photos of this gecko on the lanai at eye level, but by the time I got myself organized, it disappeared between the boards. But I waited, knowing that often times they will just wait a while and then pop up again. Sure enough, this Gold Dust Day Gecko did just that. And then we watched each other for a while, and that was the end of that!

Posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge. See more responses here.

Cows on the coast

There are four reasons why I took this photo and why I like it. The ears!

Asian Swallowtail Butterfly

What I like about this photo is the movement and the sense of fluidity in the colors.

Mugshots

When I saw these photos of this ram on Pu’u Wa’awa’a, I couldn’t help but think of police mugshots. “OK, look over to the side. Now look at the camera. You’re done. Next!” Except, I think they do the front view first and side view second. Not that I have any firsthand knowledge of the procedure!

The other side of the road

A view of Keanuiomano Stream above the Queen Kaahumanu Highway on the Big Island Hawaii

I was driving home yesterday and I was struck by a contrasting view. The top photo shows the Keanuiomano Stream running down towards the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway, the main road along the coast from Kailua Kona to the north.

I posted (here) about the river running high a few weeks ago, following the passage of Tropical Storm Calvin. Since then, there’s been a gradual decline in volume, but there’s still a trickle of water and the stream bed is full of pools. This area is popular with the goats, because it’s a good source of water and fodder after rainfall.

Crossing the road, the view is starkly different. The passage of Hurricane Dora triggered strong, dry trade winds. When fires broke out, they spread quickly (here). This view shows the aftermath of one of the relatively small fires, which burned about 500 acres next door to Mauna Kea Resort. The palm trees and houses on the left of the bottom image are part of the resort.

Ironically, when I took river running high photos, I checked out the other side of the highway for possible photos. I didn’t bother taking any, as I couldn’t see much because of the thick vegetation. Now it’s wide open down to the ocean.

A view of Keanuiomano Stream below the Queen Kaahumanu Highway on the Big Island Hawaii

Hello, yellow

A full moon rises over Hawaii — A buttery yellow full moon rises over North Kohala.

This month’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge theme is ‘Yellow.’ See more responses here. Once again, I’ve gone for a melange of photos, which sounds edible, but probably isn’t. Captions on the photos.