Category Archives: Trees

Feather-legged Fly

I was photographing bees on a tree heliotrope in Kawaihae when I saw this fly. It’s a new one for me, so I was happy to get decent photos and to be able to identify it afterwards.

This is a Feather-legged Fly (Trichopoda pennipes). It’s one of those flies which lays its eggs on host bugs, such as leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs. On hatching, the larvae make for the bug’s interior and develop safely within. The end product is a new fly and a dead bug. Because some of the bugs it uses as hosts are crop pests, it’s considered a beneficial insect.

The bottom photo shows why it got its name!

The Numbers Game #5

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into your computer’s search bar and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. I typed in a few numbers and up popped photos I’d forgotten about, so I thought this would be a fun way to feature some photos that ran a while ago, but warranted another airing.

A Hawaiian monk seal rests on the coast of Hawaii — Hawaiian Monk Seal resting.

A Lesser grass-blue butterfly in Hawaii — Hawaiian Monk Seal resting.

This week’s number is 126. Ironically, for this first response, it turned out that three of these photos haven’t run before, but have been languishing in my archives.

A Green Turtle dives in the waters off Hawaii — Green turtle diving.

You can see more responses here.

Wasp and Milo flower

I saw several wasps flitting around a Milo tree at Lapakahi recently. What I found interesting was that none of them paid attention to the flowers, but they were more interested in the buds about to bloom. Not sure what that was about.

After the rain

After recent rain, the sun came out and illuminated the water drops on coffee berries in the yard.

Lurking

A Praying Mantis lurks on a Plumeria flower in Hawaii

I had to go back a few days for my photo for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge (see more responses here). It proved to be this praying mantis lurking on a plumeria flower stem.

Sailing by

A black and white silhouette of a sailboat and palm tree

A sailboat glides over the water off the North Kohala coast, an image that doesn’t look much different in color.

Red and green and nothing in between

A red anthurium flower at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Gardens — Red anthurium flowers with green leaves.

This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge is ‘Red and Green.’ See more responses here. I’ve gone for a mostly plant-based response, except for the last.

A Royal Poincana tree in bloom in Hawaii — A Royal Poincana tree in bloom.

A gold dust day gecko on a red torch ginger in Hawaii — A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a red torch ginger

An ohia flower in Hawaii — A Gold Dust Day Gecko on a red torch ginger

Traffic lights showing red — A traffic light going from red to green!

Traffic lights showing green — A traffic light going from red to green!

Abstracts: Reflections at Lily Lake

Reflections in Lily Lake at Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden

On my last visit to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, I was taking photos at Lily Lake, which features an island in the center, planted with palms and ti plants. I like the reflections the plants make in the calm water.

This photo started out as a vertical, with the plants as well as the reflections. But when I looked at it, I liked the reflections better than the plants, so I cut it in half and made it horizontal!

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii