Category Archives: Plants

There goes my morning walk

Flash floods create a new pathway to the ocean at Pelekane Beach in Kawaihae, Hawaii

When I have time on my way to work, I like to stop in Kawaihae and go for an early morning walk. A favorite is to drive to Pelekane Beach and walk to Spencer Beach Park. Those days are gone! The flash floods from a few weeks back took care of that.

For starters, the road is still closed. I can see piles of dirt and debris through the locked access gates. But even if I could access the road, half of Pelekane Beach is gone too. The floods whooshed through the lagoon behind the beach and took a huge amount of sand with it. So now there’s no lagoon, half a beach, and a lot of trees in the bay.

It may be that the powers that be will bring in some sand to restore the former beach. That’s what’s happened at nearby Hapuna Beach, which also lost a section of its sand. In the meantime I will have to explore some new options.

The Numbers Game #29

Not a chocolate bar, but a mud-covered car. How did it get that way? Original post here.

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 150. Apart from the top photo, it’s all about plants this week. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A Coqui Frog nestled in a ginger flower.

An orange and white orchid in Hawaii — A Coqui Frog nestled in a ginger flower.

I’m red, white and blue for you

A sign on a business in Kailua Kona Hawaii — The sign above the ABC Supply Company building in Kailua Kona. These letters always make me think of Elvis Costello’s song, Brilliant Mistake, which includes the lyrics: ‘She said that she was working for the ABC News. It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use.’

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.

Here’s my selection this week with captions on the photos.

A Ring-necked pheasant in Hawaii — A Ring-necked Pheasant.

A Yellow-billed cardinal in Hawaii — A Ring-necked Pheasant.

An inflatable snowman outside a store in Hawaii — It’s not too early, is it?

St Augustines Episcopal Church in Kapaau, Hawaii — It’s not too early, is it?

Royal Poinciana

The Royal Poinciana trees are currently in bloom around here. Their splash of red is instantly recognizable, though the flowers, close up, reveal other colors at work.

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 — Lava is a major landscape feature here, but it can be colorful.

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 — A view into one of the valleys of Kohala Mountain.

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 — Got to have a gecko in here, this one looking for bugs or a drink of water on a heliconia.

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 — Sun and shade on lush tropical foliage.

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.

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 — An agitated Black Triggerfish.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii