Whitetip Reef Shark

A Whitetip Reef Shark in the waters off Hawaii
A Whitetip Reef Shark in the waters off Hawaii

I rarely post for Clare’s Share Your Desktop challenge for the simple reason that I rarely change my desktop. But yesterday, I saw this Whitetip Reef Shark and thought the top image deserved a run on my computer screen.

My first sight of the shark was the second image. I suddenly saw this large shape gliding below me, having snuck up on me from behind! I’d been thinking it had been a long time since I’d seen a shark so I was thrilled to see this one, especially since the water was pretty clear and not too deep. I love the sinuous movement in this second photo! The shark disappeared under a ledge for a short time, but then reemerged and swam up a shallow cliff face and away over the reef, leaving me a very happy swimmer.

Waimea Nature Park

A bench at Waimea Nature Park

Recently, while waiting to visit my dentist, I walked the trail in the Waimea Nature Park, also known as Ulu La’au. The trail follows the Waikoloa Stream for about a mile from the town center down toward the ocean. It’s a work in progress, with volunteers removing invasive species and planting native and canoe plants in their place.

On my walk, the Waikoloa Stream had water in it, but not much. I think it would be fun to walk there after a heavy rain. But one thing I liked was the abundance of benches, some of which offered nice views of the park, the stream, and the hills surrounding the town.

What’s going on here?

A wasp preening in Hawaii.
A wasp and a crab spider in Hawaii.

The house where I live is ready for Halloween thanks to the generous numbers of spiders living around it. By the front steps, there’s a small Hawaiian Garden Spider and several crab spiders.

One day, I came home and saw a wasp flying close to the various webs. I thought it was dicing with danger, but soon saw that wasn’t the case. Instead, it would approach a web and bob its head toward the spider. It didn’t seem to be a terribly threatening act, though perhaps it was from the spiders perspective. The wasp didn’t push home an attack, but would instead fly away, settle for a bit, and preen itself.

The garden spider didn’t seemed to be bothered by the attention, but the crab spiders would drop suddenly on a strand of silk, before returning to their web as soon as the wasp moved on. I watched these maneuvers for five or ten minutes before heading inside. No webs were damaged, no spiders hurt, and I still don’t know what was really going on!

Orange is the new theme

A Passion vine butterfly spreads its wings

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.

A rider at the Kamehameha Day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii
A rider at the Kamehameha Day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii
Riders at the Kamehameha Day parade in Kapaau, Hawaii
Fish swim in one of the golden pools at Keawaiki, Hawaii
A spot of gold at Keawaiki.
An orange Bitter Melon fruit in Hawaii
The fruit of a bitter melon.
The orange flowers of a Wiliwili tree in Hawaii
The flowers of an endemic Wiliwili tree.

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!

Sunset in North Kohala, Hawaii

After the fire

Land burned by a brush fire near Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii

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.

Land burned by a brush fire near Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii

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.

Powerline down following a brush fire near Spencer Beach Park, Hawaii
Power poles and other supplies waiting to be used after a brush fire in Hawaii
A high voltage sign on lumber being used after a fire in Hawaii

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.

A view towards Mau’umae Beach after a brush fire in Hawaii