Category Archives: Plants

Farm stands

There’s a good deal of small scale agriculture on the Big Island. Many of these enterprises grow fruits and vegetables, which are sold to local restaurants, grocery stores, and at farmers markets. Several of these small farms also sell direct to the public. One or two have setups much like regular stores, but most have small farm stands.

The farm stands operate on the honor system. Fruits and veggies are displayed, a price list is posted, often on a chalk board, and buyers leave their money in some kind of small cash box. I don’t know how often those cash boxes are emptied, but even if it’s only once a week, no one’s going to make a killing by stealing one. There’s rarely a lot on offer at these smaller stands, but what there is is fresh, organic, reasonably priced, and very local.

Posted in response to this week’s Friendly Friday challenge on the theme of ‘Fruit.’ See more responses here.

Hawaii Amakihi

Recently, I walked around the Palila Forest Discovery Trail on the slopes of Mauna Kea without seeing any palilas. The mamane seeds that they feed on were either dry and brown or just starting to form, so a return in a few weeks might bring more luck. But there were other birds flitting around, usually easier to hear than see, especially in some areas where the tangle of branches make it hard to see anything.

This endemic Hawaii Amakihi was one of them, but then it landed on part of a branch where I happened to have a clear view. I snapped two photos before it once more vanished. I like how this photo makes it looks like the bird is settled in for the long term rather than the momentary landing and take off that actually occurred.

Dark macadamia nut orchard

Just in time for Halloween is this photo of a neglected macadamia nut orchard. The trees have become so overgrown that no sunlight penetrates the dark interior except around sunset and sunrise, when it slants in, low to the ground.

Happily, work is underway to resurrect this orchard. While I was taking photos, workers gathering fallen nuts moved through the deep shadows, their low voices adding to the spooky nature of the scene.