I saw this hoverfly on a mamane flower near the top of Pu’u Wa’awa’a, which is one of my favorite places to hike. At first I thought it was a wasp or bee, which is what I’m supposed to think. Mimicking these insects may afford the hoverfly some protection from predators.
Allograpta obliqua is considered a beneficial insect since its larvae feed on aphids.
Many thanks to Daniel at whatsthatbug.com for help with the identification.
Aphelandra sinclairiana, is a shrub commonly known as Coral Aphelandra, orange shrimp plant, or, as this one was labeled, Panama Queen. It’s native to Central America, but this one was at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, near Hilo.
For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, ‘I’d rather be…,’ because I’d rather be out looking at flowers.
Bright and cheerful red ginger flowers illuminate a garden.
This old barn is losing the battle, both to encroaching vegetation, and neglect.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge to be a visual storyteller.
This juvenile black-crowned night heron swooped down and snatched a large tilapia out of a pond in front of a house by the coast. Trouble is, the fish was a bit big and the heron struggled to swallow it. After working on it by the pond, the bird flew to the top of a tree where a strong wind added to its difficulties. It hopped over to a taller tree, which only made things worse, before setting down on the rocky shore nearby.
I saw the bird a few minutes later without the fish, but don’t know whether it finally managed to swallow it or gave up and ejected it. Either way it wasn’t a good day for the fish.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, ‘Out of This World.’
The dendrobium spectabile orchid is sometimes referred to as the alien orchid, and no wonder. The curly, twisted flowers are very different from the usual orchid look. In addition, the flower is hinged, which prevents it from being fertilized by flying insects but allows crawling insects access.
A strange, but beautiful orchid, it hails from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, ‘Out of This World.’
As my blog title notes, it’s about ‘Life on the Big Island of Hawaii.’ Well, one aspect of life here is that, once in a while, one has to go to Oahu. Medical emergencies or serious illnesses often involve trips to Oahu’s bigger facilities with more specialists. In addition, some government agencies only have offices on Oahu. My recent trip was for the latter reason, but since I had time to spare before my return flight, I took the opportunity for a wander around downtown Honolulu.
This photo is a view from the central atrium of the capitol building in Honolulu. I happened to be there during a 5-day recess of the legislature, so the normally crowded space was sparsely populated. In the photo, two indistinct figures lean against a rail on the third floor, appearing dwarfed by one of four kukui nut trees (the state tree) and the mass of the building.
In response to WPC ‘A face in the crowd.’
White sand, towering palms, blue sky, and almost invisible in this quintessential Hawaiian image, a single small figure.
In response to WPC ‘A face in the crowd.’
Graham's Island 