A Fiery Skipper butterfly feeds on a Madagascar Ragwort flower. Both are introduced species and the flower is something of an invasive weed.
Fiery Skipper butterfly on Madagascar Ragwort
Rattlesnake plant
Rattlesnake plant (Calathea Crotalifera) is native to Central and South America. This one was at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, but it also grows in the wild in some places here.
For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.
View of Kau coast
A view of the Kau coast looking down towards Whittington Beach Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park beyond.
Better Days: Shade tree and bench
The high winds of a few weeks ago caused a fair amount of damage around the island. At Lapakahi State Historical Park, this tree was toppled and took out a bench that had been set up in its shade. The bench will have to be fixed and set up somewhere else because that shade isn’t coming back anytime soon.
Black Nerite Snails
Recently, I was sitting on a rock, preparing to get in the water. There were a lot of little black bumps on the rocks, which I’ve seen before, but never really paid attention to. Except, this time, I noticed some of the bumps were moving.
These bumps are Black Nerite Snails which live just above the waterline. They’re about half-an-inch long and graze on small plants that grow in that zone.
Time to get up!
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Awakening.’ See more responses here.
There’s no shortage of roosters and hens in Hawaii and the roosters are keen to fulfill their role in making sure everyone knows a new day is dawning. However, it has to be noted that they’re just as likely to awaken you from an afternoon nap as from a good night’s sleep. That’s because they can be heard crowing most any time of day, and sometimes half the night, too. This one was going off at five in the afternoon.
Old horse-drawn carriage
I saw this old carriage on the way home from Hilo yesterday, parked in a grassy area of one of the ranches along Old Saddle Road. These days it’s being used as a planter it seems.
The top photo is posted for Bushboy’s Last on the Card challenge. (See more responses here.) The bottom photo is one I took a few moments earlier. I like it better because the carriage is framed better, the photo is crisper, and a few minimal photo edits give it more pop.
A blushing bromeliad
Neoregelia carolinae is known as the blushing bromeliad because, when it’s going to flower, the center turns red, as this one has done.
Graham's Island 