Late afternoon sun is masked by clouds.
Passion vine butterflies
I was out whale watching (not much activity there) when I saw these two butterflies engaged in a mating ritual, I think. They have somewhat similar markings to monarch butterflies, though not as delineated. They get their name because the caterpillar feeds only on passion vines.
Abstracts: Do I smell a rat?
Not sure how abstract this is, but it made me look twice. I was just about to walk under a shed roof when I noticed this. The rat was still very much alive so I gave it a wide berth.
Better Days: Rusting water tank
This old water tank is now quietly rusting away on the Kohala coast.
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.
