A black witch moth blends in on a large branch of what I think is a kiawe tree. I would never have noticed it if I hadn’t seen it land there.
Category Archives: Plants
Anthurium ‘Miss Mini Purple’
Let’s face it, anthuriums are a little bit strange. But I’ve grown to appreciate them more, living in Hawaii, and they certainly are a richly tropical flower.
These were at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. For more information go to htbg.com.
Jacaranda flowers
A final response to the last edition of the WordPress photo challenge with a theme of ‘All time favorites.’
I headed back to Pu’u Wa’awa’a last week, because this is the time of year when several kinds of trees are in bloom. One of those trees is the jacaranda, which blooms from April to June, and produces masses of blue to lavender flowers. Jacarandas prefer cooler elevations so the lower areas of Pu’u Wa’awa’a are right in their zone.
I wasn’t disappointed. Several trees were covered with these delicate flowers, which somewhat made up for the fact that the entire hill was shrouded in thick vog, exacerbated by the ongoing eruption down in Puna.
Bee on clover
This is the last edition of the WordPress photo challenge with a theme of ‘All time favorites.’ Since I don’t want to rerun photos I’ve used previously, I’ve decided to interpret this challenge as favorites among photos I haven’t yet used. I’m also throwing in a touch of favorite subject matters or, basically, whatever strikes my fancy.
First up is a favorite subject – bees. These photos were taken in the front yard when I noticed a lot of activity around the many patches of clover there. One aspect of a decent photo is being in the right place at the right time. That was very true in this case. The bees were urgently buzzing from flower to flower collecting. I was, just as urgently, down on my knees taking photos. And all the time, the sound of the lawn mower got louder and louder …
Twisted hibiscus tiliaceus
The gently twisting flower of a hibiscus tiliaceus.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Twisted.’
Dead tree in the lava
The twisted remains of a dead tree lie, under heavy skies, on an old lava field at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Twisted.’
Green anoles mating
I happened to glance out of a window in time to see this green anole leap onto the trunk of a mango tree and scamper upwards. They’re fast movers, so it was only a glimpse, but I did see it had something in its mouth. ‘It’s caught a meal,’ I thought. Time to grab the camera and see what’s going on.
When I got to the tree, I found this scene. That wasn’t lunch the anole had grasped in its jaws, it was his mate. He had dragged her across the grass and up the tree in a most unceremonial manner. But this bite on the neck and the rough handling is the norm for anoles.
In fact, this episode seemed less fraught than others I’ve seen. Once on the tree there was no thrashing around or falling off as I’ve seen before. The two were twisted and locked as one, and their tails arched together. A few minutes later they were done. The female wandered off looking bemused while the male remained in the same spot, lord of all he surveyed.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Twisted.’
Tropical stream
Boulder Creek Falls on the Alakahi Stream in Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is lined with ferns and other tropical plants. It’s one of the quieter parts of the garden and a nice place to rest a while and enjoy the scenery. Mosquito repellent is advised.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Liquid.’
Graham's Island 