Category Archives: Flowers

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
A rider at the Kamehameha Day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii
Riders 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
The fruit of a bitter melon.
The orange flowers of a Wiliwili tree in Hawaii
The flowers of an endemic Wiliwili tree.

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!

Sunset in North Kohala, Hawaii

Autograph tree

An Autograph tree in Hawaii
An Autograph tree flower in Hawaii

The Autograph tree (Clusia rosea) is native to Florida and the Caribbean. Its curious name stems from the fact that, when its leaves are scarred, the marks remain visible for a long time. So if someone scratches their name into a leaf, it will stay there!

In Hawaii, it’s popular with commercial landscapers because it’s hardy and salt tolerant, so does well on the coast and in other difficult areas. But like all popular things it has a downside. It’s considered an invasive species here because it spreads prolifically and can crowd out native plants. It often starts out as an epiphyte and strangles its host plant. Anything else? Oh yes, the fruit and sap are poisonous, so getting rid of them requires considerable care.

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.

A rider representing Oahu at the King Kamehameha day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii
Yellow is the official color for Oahu and the island’s Pa’u rider …
A rider representing Oahu at the King Kamehameha day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii
… at this year’s Kamehameha Day parade carried a bounty of it.
A Bee on a wedelia flower in Hawaii
A bee forages on a wedelia flower
A yellow hibiscus in Hawaii
A vibrant yellow hibiscus flower.
Yellow tangs feeding in the waters off Hawaii
The quintessential yellow fish here – Yellow Tangs.
A Saffron Finch in Hawaii
A yellow Saffron Finch on a shrub by the very yellow Hawi Post Office.
A wasp heads for water in Hawaii
Finally a photo from a couple of days ago. A boldly-marked wasp zooms in to collect water.

All abuzz

A bee approaches a mock orange flower in Hawaii
A bee on a mock orange flower in Hawaii
A bee on a mock orange flower in Hawaii

The mock orange by the house is in full bloom again and the bees have been having a field days with the flowers. It’s a case of getting it while they can because, while the blooms are prolific, they’re short-lived. In the meantime, the flowers’ fragrance fills the air.

A bee on a mock orange flower in Hawaii