This sign and accompanying tube appeared at two local parks a couple of months ago. It’s part of a nationwide program to recycle discarded and snagged fishing line, which can be extremely harmful to marine life. The program has been going since the 1990s, but this is the first time it’s been available locally.
I used to see Ground Beetles all the time on my walks at Upolu, but this one was the first I’d seen in ages. I don’t think it’s because I’m becoming less observant. I think the numbers are down, for whatever reason.
This week’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge is ‘White and Gray.’ See more responses here. This photo of white-painted wind turbines under gray skies seemed to fit the bill.
On my last walk along the coast near Upolu Airport I came across this scene. The shopping cart is from Safeway, the nearest location being in Kailua Kona. But I was also intrigued by the contents of the cart: A street address sign, a vehicle license plate, a perfectly good lawn rake, and several bits and pieces relating to a Stihl chainsaw.
Behind the bank, there was a fishing rod, a chair, and other signs of someone having staked out the spot for fishing, so perhaps the cart was associated with that. Quite what that association was will remain one of life’s little mysteries.
This Praying Mantis spent several days on this Agave Attenuata, waiting patiently for food. There were bees all over the flowers and I think the mantis got some of them, as well as other insects.
I presumed the mantis was a female as it seemed to be getting bigger. A couple of days after taking these photos, the mantis disappeared but I saw an egg sac on a nearby tree, so maybe there will be more on the way!
I don’t see a lot of mushrooms in the yard here, but this one popped up recently and I liked how it looked in the grass.
This is where I often get in the water to go snorkeling and this photo illustrates why it’s a good idea to pay attention when getting in or out. The water looks pretty calm, but the whitewater near the top is an indicator of swells coming ashore. When those swells reach the ladder where swimmers get in and out, they can be steep and dangerous.
It’s easy to judge swells before getting in the water, but getting out is more tricky. Trying to gauge what’s happening from water level, it’s easy to misjudge the size and strength of an incoming swell. I wouldn’t have wanted to be getting out when this one rolled in!
When I’m snorkeling, I like to take photos looking back up to the surface. On this occasion, I was hoping to capture bubbles floating on the surface, but got this image instead. To me, it looks like a sunrise shot, possibly after a night on the town!
Graham's Island 