Most of the fish in this photo, with five vertical black bars, are Indo-Pacific Sergeants. But there are a few fish where the bars fade away and these are endemic Hawaiian Sergeants. The two species sometimes interbreed, so some of these fish might be hybrid sergeants. Regardless, they’re a familiar sight in the water, usually swimming in large groups and feeding high in the water.
The current Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Shapes.’ See more responses here. Since I just paid another visit to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, I thought some flower and foliage shapes would be appropriate. In the top photo, round lily pads float in the garden’s pond.
The squares show the coils within coils of a Hapu’u fern, a distinctly-shaped anthurium, the familiar curves of an orchid against a large, angular leaf, and the geometric precision of a Guzmania ‘Limones’ bromeliad.
The rectangles start with the distinctive shape of beehive gingers, then large, tropical, heart-shaped leaves, and the sinuous shape of a colorful heliconia.
The bottom photo shows feather-shaped leaves that even look like feathers!
For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.
Soft early morning light illuminates the harbor at Kawaihae.
I was checking out something on the roof of the house when I realized I was not alone. This Gold Dust Day Gecko was keeping a close eye on my activities, but when I took its photo, it retreated back into cover.
When I went down for a swim one day, the water was rough so I stayed on shore and wandered around taking photos. There’s a hollow in a rock that the birds bathe in and I usually check that out. This was the scene on that day.
There are a lot of feral cats in this area, and I suspect that one of the bathing birds was rudely interrupted in its activities.
This view of the breakwater at Kawaihae makes it look like one could walk to Maui. I wouldn’t advise it!
I was taking photos of Tahitian Prawns in the stream at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, but when I looked at them later, I mostly liked the abstract effect of the light and water. But, yes, there is a Tahitian Prawn in this photo.
For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.
I was on an early morning walk at Kawaihae when my camera started flashing red indicating that my battery was about done. On the way back to my car, I noticed these two Rosy-faced Lovebirds in a Royal Poinciana tree, trying to get the better of one of the long seed pods. These birds are also known as Peach-faced Lovebirds and have considerable color variations.
I liked how they took it in turns to try and get to grips with the pod and have a nibble, and I was glad my battery lasted long enough to capture the encounter.
Graham's Island 