I was impressed to see one of our cats at work, looking comfy on a branch of the large Kiawe tree in the yard. The tree is not only studded with vicious thorns, but is also home to a colony of ants that might outnumber the human population of the island.
There are many things to like about this orchid. It’s a beautiful flower. It’s an epiphyte, growing on the trunk of a tree. It hosts a small hover fly, which I didn’t notice at the time. And it has a handy tag attached, identifying what it is, which I also didn’t see until later.
There’s an interesting story about the discovery of this flower here.
This Albizia tree leans precariously over a narrow road in North Kohala. The bottom photo shows the view from below it. I don’t tend to spend much time in that spot in case it chooses that moment to topple over, though the tree hasn’t budged in the 10 years I’ve lived here.
This month’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Orange and Gold.’ See more responses here. First up is a very orange Passion Vine Butterfly taking a break.
Next, orange is the official color of the island of Lanai, represented here at this year’s Kamehameha Day celebrations.
When I was putting this post together a few days ago, I thought a sunset photo would be a nice way to wrap it up. I trolled through my files before picking a suitable one out, and was on the verge of processing it, when I happened to glance out of the window and saw this developing. Another reminder to live in the present and not the past!
A few days ago, I headed out on the trail from Spencer Beach Park to Mau’umae Beach Beach. I was curious to see how far last month’s brush fire, that burned near Mauna Kea Resort, had reached down by the ocean. A hundred yards into the walk the answer became clear. It reached the shore. Spencer Beach Park was untouched, but the woods on the edge of the park are one tree deep in places.
I walked back to Spencer on the service road, a quarter mile inland. The power line ran along the ground or was draped in blackened trees. There was a clump of poles and other supplies in one spot, ready for restoring service.
The vehicle access road to Mau’umae Beach beach is closed now, as two small wooden bridges were destroyed in the fire. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, the only access to the beach will be along the coast trail from Spencer. It’s only a 15 minute walk, but that’s often enough to discourage people from going there.
I saw these two Rosy-faced Lovebirds in a tree at work and wondered, is this why they’re called lovebirds?
Since the big windstorm of a few weeks ago, I’ve seen a number of Kiawe trees looking like this, on their sides with a disc of roots and dirt exposed. They’ll get cut up and probably used for smoke meat, but it will take a while to clear all of them. This one was below the trail at Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Kawaihae.
The Autograph tree (Clusia rosea) is native to Florida and the Caribbean. Its curious name stems from the fact that, when its leaves are scarred, the marks remain visible for a long time. So if someone scratches their name into a leaf, it will stay there!
In Hawaii, it’s popular with commercial landscapers because it’s hardy and salt tolerant, so does well on the coast and in other difficult areas. But like all popular things it has a downside. It’s considered an invasive species here because it spreads prolifically and can crowd out native plants. It often starts out as an epiphyte and strangles its host plant. Anything else? Oh yes, the fruit and sap are poisonous, so getting rid of them requires considerable care.
Graham's Island 