Category Archives: Photo Challenges

Rhyncholaelia digbyana ‘Haiku Green’ orchid

An Rl. digbyana 'Haiku Green' orchid at HIlo Orchid Show, Hawaii

An unusual orchid from the last Hilo Orchid show. It’s not just the color, but the frills that make this orchid stand out. Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #122

Opening ceremonies at the Kamehameha Day Parade in Kapaau, Hawaii — Opening ceremonies at the Kamehameha Day Parade in Kapaau.

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

A Ruddy Turnstone on the coast in Hawaii — A Ruddy Turnstone on the coast.

A Green Turtle on the rocks in Hawaii — A Ruddy Turnstone on the coast.

This bench is one of two on the summit of Puu Waawaa, and this is the view looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains. — View from Pu’u Wa’awa’a looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.

A Hawaiian zebra blennie in a tide pool on the Big Island — View from Pu’u Wa’awa’a looking north toward the coast and the Kohala mountains.

Lili`uokalani Gardens

A bridge at Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — This stone bridge is near the center of the park.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘National Garden Month.’ See more responses here.

A while ago, I spent some time in Lili`uokalani Gardens, in Hilo. The gardens cover almost 25 acres, including Moku Ola, better known as Coconut Island. They date back to 1917 and are named after Queen Liliʻuokalani, who was the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, before the kingdom’s overthrow by the U.S.A. in 1893.

An entrance to Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — The North Torii gate entrance.

A plane coming in to land seen from Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — The North Torii gate entrance.

Over the years, tsunamis have damaged the gardens, which are situated on the waterfront. But reconstruction, after these events, has restored and improved the gardens and kept them as an integral part of Hilo’s downtown.

Palms in Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — There aren’t a lot of flowers, but there are many palms and other trees.

The Fukuoka Lantern in Liliuokalani Park in Hilo, Hawaii — There aren’t a lot of flowers, but there are many palms and other trees.

For more information about Lili`uokalani Gardens, go to https://www.liliuokalanigardens.org/

Bat Plant

Bat plants are wonderfully exotic-looking. They like warmth, moisture, and shade so are perfect for the tropical forests on the east side of the island.

Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here.

The Numbers Game #121

The firehose of lava, in 2017, from Pu'u O'o vent at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — The firehose of lava from Pu’u O’o vent during an eruption in 2017.

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

The top photo and the first gallery are photos that haven’t run on the blog before. I don’t know why I never ran the top one, though I had a lot of good photos to choose from that day.

Tropical foliage in Hawaii — Tropical foliage.

A Catatante Pacific Sunspots Orchid at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden — Tropical foliage.

Nishimura Bay on the Big Island, Hawaii — Nishimura Bay on the Kohala Coast.

View of Mauna Kea from Pu'u Wa'awa'a bench — Nishimura Bay on the Kohala Coast.

Lined Butterflyfish

The largest of their family, these butterflyfish can be ‘as large as dinner plates’ according to my fish book. This one was probably a little over half that length.

It all starts with the creation of Earth

A display at the Hilo Orchid Show, Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Celebrating Earth Day.’ See more responses here. Here are a couple of photos from the last Hilo Orchid Show.

This Earth is the only one we have, so we should take care of it. After all, we’re all in the same boat.

The Numbers Game #120

A Chinese hibiscus flower — A pink hibiscus.

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 242. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here. Also posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here.

A wandering tattler at Kiholo, Hawaii — A Wandering Tattler on the shoreline.

The NOAA EV Nautilus off the coast of Hawaii — The EV Nautilus doing research off Lapakahi.

A zebra moray eel in the waters of the Big Island. — The EV Nautilus doing research off Lapakahi.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii