No, not a kamikaze cattle egret, but one gliding in to join the throng milling around the cows, waiting to snatch a tasty insect rousted by their grazing.
Lava fern
A fern gets a toehold in a field of lava. I like the resilience of the fern, daring to grow in such a hostile place. I also like the texture of the lava, a hard rock and yet crumbly as well. I can almost hear it crunching underfoot.
Abstracts: Caladium leaf
This caladium leaf is all bold shapes and colors.
Bluefin trevallies
A shoal of young bluefin trevallies roams the shallows. Adult bluefin trevallies grow to a good size and can also often be seen close to shore. When they catch the light right, they reflect an almost neon blue.
End of the road
There’s satisfaction in reaching the end of the highway. Highway 270, also known as Akoni Pule Highway, ends at the Pololu lookout. From there, a steep trail leads down to Pololu beach and valley. Parking at the end of the road is tight and there’s no good place to turn around, but plans are afoot for a new parking area and toilets about a hundred yards up the road. If and when that happens it will be a marked improvement on the current setup.
Lesser grass blue butterfly
A lesser grass blue butterfly spreads its wings before taking to the air again.
Aliceara Pacific Nova orchid
A lot of the plants, fish, and birds that I see on the Big Island are new to me, but I find it satisfying to identify them. It’s often not straightforward. Striking colors or patterns that I think will be easy to place can often prove elusive. Juvenile birds and fish might look nothing like their parents. Other times, a mostly undistinguished look might pop up first in my search.
Orchids are a big challenge since there are numerous hybrids. I’m pretty confident this is Aliceara Pacific Nova not just because it matches photos online, but also because there was a tag at the base of the plant, a useful search tip I’m happy to pass along here.
Not sinking
This small boat, chugging along the North Kohala coast, kept disappearing, then popping up again. As a marker of the action of waves and swell, it always catches my attention, possibly because I’ve been in that situation many times myself.
Graham's Island 