The Blackspot Sergeant is a solitary damselfish which lives near the surface in shallow waters. They’re fairly common around here, but quite shy, so tricky to photograph. Coloration can vary, but the black spot above the base of the tail is ever present, hence the name.
I saw this Wandering Tattler on the rocks at Upolu. It was a very windy day and the bird was not keen to move, so I hunkered down and got ready to photograph it when it finally took flight. As might be expected, the bird did not cooperate, and it wasn’t until I moved that it took to the air and disappeared downwind.
Lapakahi State Historical Park features the remains of an old Hawaiian fishing village. It also has great views of Maui when the weather cooperates.
Solanum linnaeanum, sometimes called the devil’s apple, hails from Africa and is an invasive weed in Hawaii. The flowers are colorful, but the plant is studded with thorns and is poisonous.
The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 173. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.
I spotted this A’ama Crab molt on a rock when I was about to get in the water. The molts are so complete they look like live crabs. The blank eyes are the giveaway. This one was notable for its color. As the molts sit in the sun, they turn an orange-red, so this one was likely very recent.
This month’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Metallic.’ See more responses here.
The top photo shows a Metallic Skink (Lampropholis delicata), which is also known as Delicate Skink, Garden Skink, Rainbow Skink, and less-flatteringly, Plague Skink. This one was crossing a road, luckily a lightly-traveled one.
The second photo is an orchid with the catchy name of Rhyncholaeliocattleya Shingfong Gold Gem ‘Golden Gem.’
The third photo is shoal of small, silvery fish, which I think are the aptly named Hawaiian Silversides.
One of the perks of snorkeling here is that there are often rainbows to be seen, such as this one just north of Lapakahi.
Graham's Island 