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/.
In this composite photo, a humpback whale surges from the water off the North Kohala coast. It’s been an odd season so far. The first whales were spotted off the island back in early October, provoking thoughts of a bumper season. Since then, activity has been spotty with little apparent buildup of numbers. This month, there were more whales to be seen, but still not as many as expected. Yesterday was the first day when the numbers and activity seemed similar to previous years. On a walk along the coast, I followed two pairs who were leaping from the water with great enthusiasm. It’s always a thrill to see these huge animals slowly rise from the water, hang for a moment, and then crash back.
For more information about humpback whales, I recommend Jim Darling’s book, Humpbacks: Unveiling the Mysteries or go to whaletrust.org or hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/welcome.html.
Tropical foliage is like snow in that it can cover up a multitude of discards. This car is well on the way to invisibility unless someone whacks back the foliage.
What’s this then?
Perhaps it hasn’t seen me.
Should I or shouldn’t I?
Here goes.
So far, so good.
Rats!
This gecko initially wasn’t quite sure what to make of such a large moth (that’s a 2×4 the moth is sitting on). But geckos are nothing if not optimists and dreams of glory spurred him on (well, I like to think so.). Ultimately a case of so near, and yet so far.
A green anole casting shadows on a window.
For more information about green anoles, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_anole.
I’m not sure why this little grasshopper sitting on the trail caught my eye, but it’s probably a good thing it did because it was about to be stepped on. I took some photos and thought, ‘Maybe I can get one of it jumping away.’ So I scuffed a foot in its direction. I knocked my water bottle over with a thud. I leaned in, casting an ominous shadow its way. It twitched a couple of times, skittered to face a different way, but no jump. Of course, I knew exactly what would happen. I straightened, putting my camera away and admitting defeat and the grasshopper duly pinged away into the grass.
With those kind of survival skills it will have a good chance of attaining the size of the grasshopper below, which I saw on the lanai some time ago. When I got close, it leapt straight into a railing, but it too survived. They’re both Schistocerca nitens I think. It’s one of those troublesome invasive species so common in Hawaii.
