This striking creature is an assassin bug, (Haematoloecha rubescens). Got to love a name like that, which lets you know right away what it’s about. This one is a predator of millipedes, which is no bad thing either. This species is believed to have arrived in Hawaii in the 1970s, probably from Asia.
We had a partial solar eclipse yesterday afternoon. I thought about going somewhere to see it, but the vog was thick, I didn’t have anything to safely watch it through, and my camera isn’t set up for taking such photos. So I stayed home.
When I realized the eclipse had started, I made a hole in a piece of cardboard and went outside. Sure enough, I was able to project a tiny image of the eclipse onto the front door. Later, when the eclipse was reaching its peak here, with around 70 percent of the sun obscured, I went outside again. I was about to deploy my cardboard pinhole, when I noticed a larger image of the eclipse already showing on the door. It hadn’t been there earlier.
It turned out that a hole on the edge of the roof was perfectly aligned for projecting the image at the peak of the eclipse. A few minutes later, clouds rolled across and the image disappeared. A case of being in the right place at the right time, at least, for that little hole.
This bamboo orchid was all by itself in a sea of grasses.
For more information about Hawaiian flowers, go to wildlifeofhawaii.com/flowers/.
On one of my coast walks I was surprised to find a tree that I visit regularly, abuzz with wasps and other insects. The tree is a Tree heliotrope (Heliotropium foertherianum) which, as the photos suggest, is hardy and salt tolerant. This was the first time I’d seen it with striking tentacles of flowers and berries, hence it’s other common name of Octopus bush.
The majority of the wasps attracted to the tree were potter wasps, specifically Eumenes bollii I think. They were focused on their task for which I was grateful, since I was shoving my camera quite close to them on occasion.
When snorkeling, the tendency is to look down where numerous reef fish can be seen darting through rocks and coral. Needlefish, on the other hand, are surface swimmers and, as such, can be a little unnerving. Many times I’ve looked up and found myself in the midst of a shoal of needlefish, circling around me. At such times, I try not to think of Custer’s Last Stand.
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.
These photos are from the Kohala coast, which is somewhat screened from big Northwest swells by the other islands. I took them around the time of the 31st Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave surf event at Waimea Bay on Oahu. Eddie Aikau was a legendary big wave surfer and lifeguard at Waimea Bay.
It’s the 31st year for the event, but only the ninth time it’s actually been held because the waves have to be big enough for it to ‘go.’ Apparently, the surf this year was the biggest ever. I watched on my computer, which is about as close to waves of that size that I’d want to get, unless I wanted to test just how comprehensive my health insurance is.
There’s a common expression that has emerged from this event. While discussing the dangerous size of the waves before the first Eddie contest, Mark Foo, a professional surfer said, “Eddie would go.” It’s a phrase that resonated and is now applied to many things in Hawaii.
For more information about Eddie Aikau and The Eddie event, go to quiksilver.com/surf/events/eddie-aikau/.
Water in a tide pool looking like a watercolor.
A Japanese white-eye sits on a pair of eggs in a nest in a mock orange tree. The bird was introduced to Hawaii in 1929 for insect control. It’s now quite common and is considered an invasive species. It carries avian parasites which harm native birds and also spreads seeds from invasive plants.
