Category Archives: Photo Challenges

White-lined sphinx moth

Another post based on the theme of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, which is ‘Silence.’

I glimpsed this moth flitting by and snapped a couple of photos, one of which is the second shot. I realized this wasn’t something I’d seen before and wanted to get more photos to make identifying it easier, but it had gone to ground and I’d lost track of it. So I waited, scanning the ground without spotting anything. A light breeze ruffled the grass, but otherwise all was silence.

Eventually, having seen no sign of its presence, I gave up, got up and moved on. Within seconds the moth flew by again. This time I followed its flight and saw where it put down. Even then, as I padded towards it, I thought I’d lost it again. But when I zoomed in on the apparently empty spot, the moth appeared, as seen above. No chance I’m spotting this had I not seen it flying.

It’s a white-lined sphinx moth, first recorded in Hawaii in 1877 and now present on all the islands. It’s probably fairly common but it’s the first time I’ve seen one.

Billbergia pyramidalis

Another post based on the theme of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, which is ‘Silence.’

I like to visit Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden a few times a year. The last time I was there, I got the last spot in the parking lot and expected to spend the morning elbowing my way through crowds. Imagine my surprise when I set out on the path into the garden and found it deserted. No one going down ahead of me, no one puffing their way up either. For a few minutes it was just me and a profusion of tropical plants, one of which was this Billbergia pyramidalis.

Billbergia pyramidalis is a bromeliad, also known as ‘Flaming torch.’ I wonder why?

For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.

Fish feeding

Fish feed near the surface of the water off the Big Island of Hawaii.Fish feed near the surface of the water off the Big Island of Hawaii.

Another post based on the theme of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, which is ‘Silence.’

It’s not unusual to see fish feeding while snorkeling, but on this day the numbers doing so, up near the surface, were large. These are mostly Hawaiian sergeants and black triggerfish, with a few indo-pacific sergeants amongst them.

By easing myself slowly toward them, they weren’t unduly concerned, parting as I got close and returning as I passed. I felt like I was swimming in an aquarium, a quiet environment without the usual noises of everyday life.

Fish feed near the surface of the water off the Big Island of Hawaii.

Full moon

Here’s another instance of me making posts based on the theme of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, which is ‘Silence.’

First up is this shot of a full moon. For me, the night sky always seems silent. What goes on up there is rarely accompanied by any sound that we hear (the recent Michigan meteor notwithstanding). And this was a calm evening with clouds just drifting by, so not even the sound of the wind to disturb things.

Saddle Road corral

As old Saddle Road winds upward from Waimea it passes through ranch land. This corral is clearly a going concern as evidenced by the loading ramps and surrounding fencing, but my eye is always drawn to the weathered ‘Delta Line’ structure. I’m not sure what it once was or what its purpose is now, but it appears to be in regular use.

Besides cattle, this is a good area to see pueo, the endemic Hawaiian short-eared owl.

Alakaha Ramp bench

At the top of the Alakaha Ramp, on the 1871 Trail from Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park to Ho’okena, is this little weathered bench. It offers shade and a lovely view to the north, the point of land being the park.

For more information about the 1871 Trail, and other hikes on the Big Island, go to bigislandhikes.com.

For more information about Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm.

Little fish hoping to grow

Little fish in a pond at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

Along the Kona coast, there are several ponds a little way inshore. These are anchialine ponds containing a mix of freshwater and saltwater. The freshwater comes from a mix of rain, runoff, and the occasional spring. The saltwater intrudes from cracks in the lava.

These ponds often harbor a mix of wildlife from birds and bugs to the tiny fish in this photo. I’m not sure what these fish are, in one such pond at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, but the ponds offer a relatively safe place to start out life. However, they will need to make their way to the sea before they grow too big to escape the pond. Once there, survival will become a chancier thing.

For more information about Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, go to bigislandhikes.com/kaloko-honokohau-park/.