Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge asks us to post the last photo we took in October (See more response here). Mine came from a couple of evenings ago.
I was taking photos of the sunset and when the sun dipped out of view I noticed a strange something on the horizon. I zoomed in and took a couple of photos, this being the second of those.
It took me a while to figure out what was going on here, but then it all became clear. I realized, some 20 miles out to sea, an enormous duck was paddling by. I mean, what else could it be?
A week ago, I posted (here) about a Wiliwili tree flowering at the foot of Pu’u Wa’a Wa’a. Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) is endemic to Hawaii and grows in dry forests on the leeward side of the island. Pu’u Wa’a Wa’a is one such place. While I’ve hiked here several times before, this is the first time I’ve seen a Wiliwili flowering.
Wiliwili is unusual for an Hawaiian tree in that it’s deciduous, dropping it’s leaves during summer droughts. It’s pollinated by birds, but on this day bees were the primary visitors.
Wiliwili seeds are easy to germinate and grow but, like many Hawaiian plants, it has been in decline, losing out to more robust non-native plants and to herbivores. The arrival in Hawaii of a a gall wasp, Quadrastichus erythrinae, greatly exacerbated the situation. However, biocontrol responses have been effective and the situation has been stabilized.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Mysterious.’ See more responses here.
I took these photos, through the window of a local gallery, for last week’s ‘Glass’ theme. When I got home and looked at the images, I wasn’t exactly sure whether they were glass or some kind of plastic.
The more I looked at them, the more I thought they looked like UFOs. Then I saw the figures in each one and I started to wonder what was going on in this so-called gallery. Something mysterious, no doubt.
Perhaps I should call the FBI, or maybe the Men in Black!
I found this toy watering can on the sand at Spencer Beach Park one early morning, as the full moon was setting, clearly been left behind by the previous day’s beach-goers.
Pu’u Wa’a Wa’a is a cinder cone on the slopes of Hualalai volcano. The name means “many-furrowed hill,” and it’s a place I like to walk at least once a year, but it had been a while since I was up there. Usually, I go there in the spring when Jacarandas and other flowers are blooming. I also try to go in the early morning, since the area tends to cloud up during the day and the wonderful views become obscured.
A couple of weeks ago I made a late decision to do the hike again since the weather looked unusually good. I got there around 2pm and it will come as no surprise that I spent the first 15 minutes of the hike taking photos of Williwilli flowers on a tree about 20 feet from where I parked! (More of those in a few days.)
The trail follows an old road up the hill past Silk Oak trees, at the tail end of their flowering and sporting a deep red hue I hadn’t seen before. Turn around, and there are good views of Maui to be had. The old road peters out near an old blockhouse, now lacking doors and windows, which offers shelter to livestock on the ranch here. Off to one side is an old quarry, which cuts into the side of the hill. Usually there are goats in this area, but I didn’t see any on this day. Farther up is what’s left of Tamaki Corral, which dates back around 100 years.
Not far after the corral, the trail climbs steeply toward the top. This was where I found a change in the trail. Whereas before the trail was an out-and-back up a steep slope to the top, now a loop has been created. I took this new option to the top where, on this remarkably clear late afternoon, I had great views of Maui, Kohala Mountain, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. A new sign at the top welcomes hikers to the nearly 4,000 foot summit, and there’s a survey marker at the top riddled with holes, not from gunfire, but to let the wind blow through. There are also a couple of benches where one can sit a while enjoying the views (weather permitting). The hike is steep in places, but not difficult, though not everyone makes it back alive!
I followed the old trail back down and ran into several sheep, which have the run of the land up here, as the sun dipped behind the ridge.
One other difference I noticed with this afternoon hike was the proliferation of birds. There were large numbers of finches, mostly Saffron Finches flitting about, preparing to roost for the evening. Yellow-fronted Canaries were all over the tree tobacco flowers. I also saw, and heard, several Erckel’s Francolins doing their usual fine job of blending in with the vegetation.
And as I walked back down the hill towards my car, the late afternoon sun still shone, illuminating grasses alongside the trail.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Glass.’ See more responses here.
We don’t have trash pick up here. Instead, we take our trash to the transfer station, which is also the place to take items for recycling. These days, only glass and corrugated cardboard are being recycled. In the past, they also took other cardboard, paper, cans, and plastics. But those things were dropped, supposedly because of a lack of a market for them. Another factor is that it’s been difficult keeping transfer stations staffed and open. Finding staff to deal with recycling is probably impossible right now.
Even with just glass and corrugated cardboard accepted, I see people, no doubt with good intentions, putting the wrong things in the wrong places. The idea is to recycle glass, not glass in a cardboard box or plastic bag or with the cap on or surrounded by insects because it hasn’t been rinsed out!
I read somewhere that one of the reasons some nations stopped accepting recycled materials is that too many shipments were not recyclable, but were essentially trash. Still, I continue to drop my glass in the recycling container in the hope that it does some good. Incidentally, these aren’t all my bottles and jars! These were in the recycling skip.
Graham's Island 