Category Archives: Plants

Big Island landscapes

Puus on Mauna Kea summit in Hawaii
Pu’us are volcanic cinders cones from past eruptions. These are near the top of Mauna Kea.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Landscapes.’ See more responses here.

There’s a bit of everything on the Big Island, so these are just few of the landscapes to be seen here. Captions on the photos.

Colorful Lava in Hawaii
Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.
A tree on the Hilina Pali Trail in Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii
The Hilina Pali Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A views of Pohoiki Beach in Hawaii
The landscape here changes regularly. A view of Pohoiki Beach. Lava from the 2018 eruption on the right, new black sand beach on the left, and a smothered boat ramp with little swimming pool near the center.
A view of a valley in the Kohala Mountains in Hawaii
A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.
Part of the Pu'u O'o Trail in Hawaii
The Pu’u O’o Trail passes through old growth forests isolated by past eruptions.
A path winds through palm trees in Hawaii
On the coast, a path wanders through palm trees.
Pasture land on Kohala Mountain in Hawaii
Pastureland on Kohala Mountain.
A view of ranch land on Kohala Mountain in Hawaii
Cattle ranches border Kohala Mountain Road.
A View of Mauna Kea from The Fairmont Orchid in Hawaii
A view of Mauna Kea from the coast at the Fairmont Orchid Resort.

Palm fronds in a gully

Wet palm fronds in a gulley in Hawi, Hawaii

Entering beautiful downtown Hawi (all one block of it) there’s a gully to one side of the road. It’s a steep drop into it, but there’s lots of vegetation to break one’s fall and to cover up the odds and ends dumped there. We get a lot of rain up here, so the vegetation thrives including this palm, all shiny and drooping from the last downpour.

From a tropical garden

A Lennart Karl Gottling 'Hula Skirt' orchid at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
A splendidly named Lennart Karl Gottling ‘Hula Skirt’ orchid.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Plant Life.’ See more responses here. Since I went to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden a couple of weeks ago, it seems appropriate to post a few of those photos for this one.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

A Gecko on a heliconia at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Got to have a gecko in here, this one looking for bugs or a drink of water on a heliconia.
An Episcia plant at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
An Episcia plant, not sure which kind.
Bromeliads at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
A variety of bromeliads.
Tropical foliage at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Sun and shade on lush tropical foliage.
A Philippine Ground Orchid at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Philippine Ground Orchid flowers.
A Begonia brevirimosa subsp. exotica plant at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens
Begonia brevirimosa subsp. exotica with its outrageous leaves and cute flowers.

The Numbers Game #26

Sunrise from the road to Mauna Loa Observatory, now no longer accessible since the 2022 eruption.

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

A view of Rainbow Falls in Hilo Hawaii
Rainbow Falls in Hilo.
The stairs down to Kaumana Caves in Hilo.
A view of a river gully on the Hamakua Coast in Hawaii as seen from the air
A view of Kealakaha Stream gully, on the Hamakua Coast, from the air.
A Black Triggerfish looking agitated in the waters off Hawaii
An agitated Black Triggerfish.
Hawaiian Zebra blenny and Padina japonica in a tide pool in Hawaii
Hawaiian Zebra Blenny in a filed of Padina japonica seaweed.
A view of Mauna Kea from Mauna Loa showing Pahoehoe and A’a lava flows side by side.

Rainbow Shower tree

The flowers of a rainbow shower tree in Hawaii

Rainbow Shower trees (Cassia x nealae) produce an abundance of flowers, varying in color from yellow to orange, pink, and red, often on the same flower. The color mix is due to them being a hybrid, which is also the reason they don’t produce seedpods

The flowers of a rainbow shower tree in Hawaii