Category Archives: Plants

Purple patches

A Manybar Goatfish in the waters off Hawaii
A guilty-looking Manybar Goatfish.

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Purple.’ See more responses here. Captions on the photos.

Colored lines on a table fan in Hawaii
Lines on a table fan.
A purple orchid in Hawaii
A purple orchid
A bee on a Queen’s Wreath flower.
A purple Outrigger Canoe in Hawaii
Outrigger canoe racing.

The Numbers Game #67

A Japanese White-eye on a pink banana 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 188. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Sunset off Kohala.
Lesser Grass Blue Butterflies.
Vireya Rhododendron flowers.
Orchid Onc. Tsuiki Magueritte.
A Snowflake Moray Eel.
A lava breakout from the Kilauea lava flow.
A lava breakout on a 2016 Kilauea lava flow. The couple on the right hadn’t yet noticed it. Original post here.

From the garden

A Red heliconia at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
A very red heliconia.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘National Garden Month.’ See more responses here. I don’t really have a garden here, but I do enjoy a visit to Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden, so here are some photos from my most recent visit.

at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Anthurium Schlechtendalii or Pheasant’s Tail.
A Fiery Spike flower at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Fiery spike (Aphelandra aurantiaca).
Foliage in a pot at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Foliage in a pot.
Panama Queen flowers at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Aphelandra sinclairiana or Panama Queen.
Wishing well orchids at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Orchids in the well. There’s probably enough money in there to cover the cost of admission!
Red Ti leaves at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Red Ti leaves in the sun.

The Numbers Game #66

A view of Waipio Valley from the air.

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

A Citrus Swallowtail butterfly.
An Allograpta Obliqua Hoverfly on a Mamane flower.
A Leafcutter Bee on Aptenia Cordifolia flowers.
A view of the base of the petioles of a Traveler’s Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis).
A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a red bamboo stem.
A cow extricating itself from a jam!

A walk at Pu’u Wa’awa’a Cinder Cone State Park

A View of Maui from Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
A distant view of Maui.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Walk in the Park.’ See more responses here. These photos are from my last hike at what is officially known as Pu’u Wa’awa’a Cinder Cone State Park. The hike took place under heavy skies, but the clouds hovered just above the top of the hill and the rain held off until late in the walk.

A Northern Mockingbird on a snag at Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
A Northern Mockingbird announces its presence.
Silk Oak flowers at Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
Silk Oak flowers.
A View of Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
A view of Pu’u Wa’awa’a from a new section of trail.
A Sheep in the grass at Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
Sheep and cattle are often seen on the trail.
Wiliwili seeds at Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
Seeds on an endemic Wiliwili tree.
A View of Trail up Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
The trail up through the center of the pu’u, pu’u being Hawaiian for cinder cone.
tree roots at Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
Tree roots snake across the trail in places.
A Horse and rider on Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
A horse and rider enjoying the walk, too.
A View from Pu'u Wa'awa'a in Hawaii
A view from near the top, looking towards the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.

Koster’s Curse

Koster's Curse, a highly invasive plant in Hawaii

Koster’s Curse (Miconia crenata), also known as soapbush, is one of the worst invasive plants in Hawaii. Introduced in the 1940s, it has spread across all the islands and its growth habits and prolific seed spread threatens anything in its path.

Ironically, it is named after a sugar planter in Fiji who was believed to have introduced the plants there and shared seeds elsewhere. However, it’s thought that it was actually a neighbor of his, a coffee planter named William Parr, who was the guilty party!