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.
The lady beetle wears the crown
Category Archives: Animals
Gecko watching
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
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.
Hello, yellow
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.
Flowers and a photo
A friend gave my wife a small bouquet of flowers from the garden. These ended up on a shelf below a print of one of my old photos, and I liked how the colors worked together. This photo also provides evidence that there is at least one snake in Hawaii!
