Category Archives: Photo Challenges

Spanish Dancer egg sac

The egg sac of a Redmargin Spanish Dancer sea slug in the waters off Hawaii

There are two kinds of Spanish Dancer nudibranchs in Hawaii, the Yellowmargin Spanish Dancer and the Redmargin Spanish Dancer. Both lay egg coils that look like roses. The Yellowmargin’s coils are pink and the Redmargin’s are red.

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Simply Red. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #82

A bee flies to an ohia lehua flower in Hawaii.
A bee approaches an Ohia Lehua flower.

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

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Simply Red. See more responses here.

A cabbage butterfly on a tree heliotrope
A Cabbage Butterfly about to receive a visitor!
An abandoned car that was finally set on fire.
Rolling surf and dark clouds off the North Kohala coast.
A Varicose Phyllidia sea slug.
A day octopus in the waters off Hawaii
A Pacific Day Octopus caught in the open.
A spotted eagle ray
A Spotted Eagle Ray passes below.

Royal feathers

An endemic I'iwi bird in Hawaii

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

When the Polynesians first came to Hawaii, they brought with them many plants and animals for use in their new home. They also brought with them their traditional skills, one of which was feather work. Feathers were made into capes and helmets, as well as used in standards and staffs. These feathered items were mostly reserved for Hawaiian royalty, the ali’i, and were considered a status symbol, showing how powerful they were.

Red and yellow were the main colors used so the I’iwi (pictured) and Apapane were coveted for their red feathers, while yellow feathers came from Ō’ō and Mamo birds. These latter two birds are now extinct, but not because of feather collecting. Introduced predators and diseases, together with loss of habitat, are the primary causes.

Also posted for Becky’s Squares: Simply Red. See more responses here.