The mynah bird was introduced to Hawaii in 1866 to deal with the cutworm moth, an agricultural pest. The birds were successful in their task and promptly went on to thrive, becoming something of a pest themselves. I like them because they always look grumpy.
The Hawaiian monarch butterfly comes from the same stock as the mainland variety. It made its way to Hawaii in the mid 1800s, shortly after the milkweed plant (one of the Monarch’s host plants) was introduced. There’s a white variant that’s been seen on Oahu, but not on the Big Island as far as I know.
The inter-island barge leaves the Big Island on a tranquil evening.
This native plant (scientific name Scaevola sericea) has curious half flowers, with five downward-facing petals. And it’s popular with ants, at least by my observation.
It does well along the coast because it’s salt tolerant and is often planted for erosion control and reclamation projects.
For more information about this and other Hawaiian flowers, go to wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/.
The Moorish idol is one of the easiest fish to identify. Striking colors, striking shape, and no other fish quite like it. This one not only hung around while I was there, but obligingly slid into a patch of sunlight.
In my attempts to identify what I see in the water, I use John P. Hoover’s book The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals. His website is hawaiisfishes.com.
OK, so the headline is just clickbait (well, for some strange people maybe), but the big anole that lives in one of the windows recently shed his skin. The old layer had a lovely lacy look as it peeled away in the morning sun. When I next saw him, a couple of hours later, he was all done and looking splendid in his new outfit.
For more information about green anoles, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_anole.
That would be mud wood. It’s actually the surface of a muddy puddle on a dirt road not long after a Jeep drove through.
A tranquil view of the volcano, Hualalai. It last erupted in 1801, but is still considered active. If it does go off again, it could be very bad news for the Kohala coast resorts and the airport at Kailua Kona, which is built on the flow from one of the last eruptions.
For more information about Hualalai, go to hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanoes/hualalai/.
Graham's Island 