Category Archives: Plants

Photos afloat

A tug and barge enter Kawaihae Harbor in Hawaii
A tug and barge enter Kawaihae Harbor in the early morning hours.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Afloat.’ See more responses here. Let’s start with boats.

Strong winds whip up whitecaps in Kawaihae Harbor in Hawaii
Even in a sheltered harbor, staying afloat isn’t always easy.
A Coast Guard buoy ship in the waters off Hawaii
A U.S. Coastguard ship servicing buoys outside Kawaihae Harbor.
Canoe paddlers head towards the shore off the coast of Hawaii
Canoe paddlers head for shore.

But they’re not the only floating things.

A Hawaiian Coot swims in a lagoon in Hawaii
A Hawaiian Coot afloat in a pond, oblivious to the need for a bit of personal grooming.
A diver down flag in the waters off Hawaii
In the U.S. this flag signals, “I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed.”
Lily pads and reflections in Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden
Lily pads floating on Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden.

The Numbers Game #31

A pueo snags a meal. A favorite encounter of mine, the original post ran 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 152. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Lights on the water.
Hualalai seen over a sea of clouds.
The Super Blood Wolf Moon hangs over Hawi.
Thank goodness it’s parked!
The iceman cometh.
A Japanese white-eye perches on the stem of a Japanese aloe flower
A Japanese White-eye on a Japanese Aloe, another favorite photo of mine.

The Numbers Game #30

Kite flying over Upolu.

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

A Praying Mantis giving me the look.
A tiny fish wonders what the big lump is in its tide pool.
A gecko chilling at the Pepsi machine.
A Pacific Beetle Cockroach.
Clouds gather around a tree on the slopes of Mauna Kea.
An endangered Palila contemplates a snack.

Royal Palms

Royal Palms at Hapuna Resort, Hawaii
Royal Palms at Hapuna Resort, Hawaii

Royal Palms (Roystonea regia) are impressive trees. They grow up to 70 feet high, and are always upright. Their gray trunks are topped by a crown of leaves and, unlike Coconut Palms, they’re not going to drop bombs on your head while taking the top photo.

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.

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

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
Some kind of orchid I think.
A Bee approaches a mock-orange in Hawaii
A bee approaches Mock Orange flowers, already laden with pollen.
A gecko on a pink banana.
A Bubblegum Heliconia.
A Toothbrush Orchid.