Gold dust day gecko snares a stick insect

When I first saw this gecko it had already snagged the stick insect and was fending off a larger gecko that had taken an interest. It scurried up the wall with its prize and, the last I saw, was preparing to deliver last rites.

Whipping across the water

White shirt, white boat, whitecaps.

Racing along.

I saw these guys speeding along the coast on a very windy day, whitecaps everywhere. The outriggers on the kayaks help, but I was happy to be watching from the shore.

Hey, where’s my boat?

Spinner dolphins

Pods of spinner dolphins patrol the coast. They get their name from their acrobatics. It’s great to see them looking like they’re having such a good time. It’s even more fun to be swimming when they’re around. Their speed, grace, and agility is amazing.

For more information about spinner dolphins, go to dolphins-world.com/spinner-dolphin.

Hawaiian garden spider

Sorry arachnophobes, but there are spiders in Hawaii. These are Hawaiian garden spiders (Argiope appensa), which came from Asia originally. Mostly it’s the female spider, the large, colorful one in the center of this web, that is seen. Indeed, this was the first time I’ve noticed a male, the much smaller, brown spider. Another web nearby also sported a male and female pair.

Their distinctive webs usually feature one or more broad zigzag lines of silk, called stabilimentum. I’ve read that this is to stabilize the web, but might also serve to lure prey or as a marker to birds and the like, so they don’t fly in to it.

For more information about the Hawaiian garden spider, go to insectidentification.org.

Chinese hibiscus

This striking flower, with its long and dramatic stamen, comes in several colors. The flowers only last for one day, but there are usually plenty more waiting for their chance to take center stage.

For more information about this and other Hawaiian flowers, go to wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/.

Abstracts: Pahoehoe lava

This is ropey pahoehoe lava. It’s formed when a flow meets a small barrier, pushing up a small rope-like ridge, which cools, causes a new rope to form, and so on.

For more information about types of lava, go to instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hi?Volcano.types.

Rock pigeons take off

Rock pigeons (also known as rock doves) congregate on the cliff sides of the Kohala coast. These took off in a flurry, circled round, then settled down again.